Rebecca's Plan
by DarkShadowFlame
Summary: Rebecca Hopkins has an elaborate plan to catch Yuugi – a plan that involves the older brother of her sometime-best friend, womanizer Kaiba Mokuba, seducing her number one romantic rival – even though Seto REALLY can't stand Anzu. SetoAnzu, MokubaRebecca
1. Rebecca's plan

**REBECCA'S PLAN**

* * *

Summary: Rebecca Hopkins has an elaborate plan to catch Yuugi – a plan that involves the older brother of her sometime-best friend, womanizer Kaiba Mokuba, seducing her number one romantic rival – even though Seto REALLY can't stand Anzu. SetoAnzu, MokubaRebecca.

Note: Yay new story! I'm thinking this one will be 8 or 9 chapters.

* * *

Chapter 1: Rebecca's Plan

* * *

"Hey MK, I need to talk to you!" Rebecca called, opening the front door of the Kaiba mansion and striding in like she owned it.

Kaiba Mokuba was currently entangled on the living room couch with his latest conquest, and he shut his eyes and pushed the girl deeper into the cushions, fumbling to unhook her bra with one hand. Now that Rebecca was here, she was definitely going to ruin his hookup, so he might as well make the most of the final moments.

"Who's here?" the girl underneath him asked, halfheartedly squirming to get away.

"No one you need to worry about," Mokuba lied. He popped open her bra and copped a feel before Rebecca found them in the living room.

"Disgracing the family name again?" Rebecca snapped, crossing her arms disapprovingly. "What's this latest blonde floozy's story?"

"Hey," the girl said, trying to tug her shirt back down over her ample breasts. She clearly had no idea what Rebecca meant by 'floozy' but the tone of the other girl's voice was unmistakable.

"Honestly, Mokuba, I don't know why you lower yourself like this," Rebecca said, picking her way through scattered couch pillows to grab the girl's bag and high heels. "Why do you go for the body and not the brains? And I _really_ don't understand why it has to be a different body every week."

"I like to keep life interesting," Mokuba said, sitting up to allow Cindy to wiggle out from underneath him. He watched regretfully as she clasped her bra. He winked at her, and she blushed and smiled shyly back. Then Rebecca dumped her purse in her lap and the spell was broken.

"What makes you think I don't have any brains?" Cindy asked defensively, glaring up at Rebecca. "And just who do you think you are, anyway?"

"I'm his PR person," Rebecca lied without missing a beat. "This one definitely isn't going to make it to the tabloids, sugar, so you should probably leave now. And your head makes a funny rattling sound when you move, that's how I know."

Mokuba rolled his eyes and decided to ignore the impending catfight. He set about the far more interesting task of rebuttoning his shirt.

"Excuse me!" Cindy stood up, glaring. "I'll have you know that everyone I know tells me I'm _smart-_"

Rebecca shoved Cindy's high-heeled shoes into her hands. "What's the lightest element?" she asked politely.

Cindy blinked. "What?"

"What's the derivative of x2?" Rebecca asked, still smiling that bland smile. "Calculus not your thing? Who wrote _Ulysses_?"

"Homer," Cindy said with certainty. Mokuba groaned. She looked over at him and smiled coyly. He looked away.

Rebecca rolled her eyes deeply. "What's the star closest to the planet earth?" she asked, her eyes somewhere in the back of her skull.

Frustrated, Cindy said, "Well, ex-_cuuuse me_ for not having the solar system memorized."

"It's the sun, you moron," Rebecca said, still politely. "Get out now."

Cindy's jaw dropped, and she looked at Mokuba for backup. He shrugged. "You should probably get going. It's late." Rebecca looked at her watch – it was just after 6pm – and hid a smile.

"See you later, Cindy," Mokuba said, smiling his famous charming smile. She looked bowled over by him for a moment, then hesitatingly said, "It's Susan."

"That's what I said, you just heard me wrong." Mokuba smiled again. "Bye."

Since Susan apparently wasn't getting the message, Rebecca took the girl's arm and dragged her to the door. "Good-bye, Cindy," she said sweetly. "Please don't come back. Like I said, you would look terrible on a tabloid cover." Susan opened her mouth, Rebecca slammed the door in her face, heaved a huge sigh, and returned to the living room.

"Kaiba Mokuba, _where_ do you find these girls?" she asked, shaking her head.

He frowned at her. "Look, Rebecca, who I date-"

"_Date?_" she interjected, her voice heavy with disbelief. Mokuba had the gall to grin at that.

"Who I hook up with is none of your business," he said, turning away from her and putting his feet up on the couch.

"I'm acting on behalf of the universe," she said, annoyed. "Why do you keep getting involved with these brainless big-boobed clones?"

"Well, you just said half the reason," he said, folding his arms behind his head and closing his eyes. "Cindy had really nice breasts." Rebecca sighed again, and Mokuba opened his eyes to scowl at her.

"Look, Seto dates these intellectual, driven women, and they drive him crazy," Mokuba said, shaking his head. "Why would I want that when I can have a good, uncomplicated time with a gorgeous girl and then kick her out of my life forever? No stress."

"No morals," Rebecca snapped back, but it was an old battle of theirs, and it didn't mean much anymore.

Their friendship was a strange one, formed largely by circumstance, and Rebecca wasn't at all sure that they would even be on speaking terms if they hadn't been thrown together. As it was, they'd hardly had a choice in their friendship. Arthur Hopkins had decided a year after the KaibaCorp GrandPrix to settle down in Domino, where his good friend Mutou Sugoroku still lived. Rebecca was a few months younger than Mokuba, but they were in the same grade, and they entered lower secondary school at the same time. By that point their respective genius had been widely acknowledged, and although their teachers refused to move them up a few grades, the two children were given special projects and tutors and often required to work together. As they advanced into upper secondary school, and the intellectual gap between them and the rest of their classmates grew, the two of them naturally drew together. Now he was 19, she was 18, and they had both decided to attend Sora University (close enough to Domino that they could commute) with a concentration in computer and business administration.

And the thing was, Rebecca genuinely liked Mokuba… she admired his intelligence, he was really funny, he was one of the few people who could keep up with her. Unfortunately, he had acquired a truly disgusting taste in women, which she felt morally obliged to not let pass, so recently they squabbled more often than not.

"You'd be a good guy if it weren't for this dumb commitment thing," Rebecca said now, standing beside the couch and looking down at him.

"I'm nineteen years old, give it a rest," he said, shutting his eyes again. "Tell me why you barged in here and interrupted my date."

"Hookup," Rebecca corrected. She shoved his legs off the couch and sat down quickly, before he could put them back up. He put them back up anyway, in her lap. She shoved them off; he put them back up; she quit.

"Well," she began reasonably. "Now that we've survived our first year of university, and have decided to take a lighter load of classes this semester, I think that this is the perfect time in my life to start a relationship. I am eighteen and mature and well on my way to building my own life."

Mokuba's heart started to thump erratically, and he fell unnaturally still. _You know where this is going_, he told himself sternly, _so don't kid yourself_.

"So this is the perfect time to finally go out with Yuugi," Rebecca concluded, just as Mokuba said "So you're gonna jump Yuugi?"

"Date, not hook up with," she told him, scowling.

"Congrats," Mokuba said, staring up at the ceiling. "Not that this is big news to me. You've only been pretending to date him for what, five years?"

Rebecca jumped, and he looked over to see her blush ferociously. "Shut up, Mokuba," she said, shoving his feet off her lap again.

"Aw, come on," he said, leaving his feet on the floor and sitting up. "You think that your pretend relationship with him is less pathetic than my many girlfriends?"

This left her speechless and unexpectedly furious. Mokuba swallowed as he saw her eyes flash dangerously.

"So why are you telling me this?" he asked hastily, but Rebecca wasn't so willing to let that pass.

"How _dare_ you, Kaiba Mokuba?" she demanded, and to his horror he saw that tears were welling up inside those bright blue-green eyes. "I have _feelings_ – actual _feelings_ – for an amazing guy, and you compare those real emotions to your promiscuous sex life?" She jumped up to go, and he leapt to his feet to stop her.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," he said hastily, grabbing onto her wrist to stop her, and when that didn't work, wrapping his whole body around her. "That was rude and thoughtless, I didn't mean it, you know I'm dumb about relationships, I'm so sorry," he babbled.

"I should have known better than to talk with you about _love_," she said scathingly, still trying to shake him off, and that was when the front door slammed and Seto came in shaking a pair of bright pink panties.

"In my _car,_ Mokuba?" he demanded, throwing them on the floor.

_Bad time, Seto,_ Mokuba thought, still clinging to Rebecca to prevent her from leaving.

"And now in the living room?" Seto asked, catching sight of them. He scowled and turned to go, then took a second look and recognized Rebecca. "Hopkins?"

"Your brother is attacking me, make him let me go," she said through clenched teeth, only angrier at the sight of the lacy panties.

"Not until you promise to sit back on the couch and tell me about your plan for Yuugi," Mokuba said, his voice muffled since his head was pressed into her hair. "I'll help, I promise."

She froze, then he felt her relax. He tentatively released her, watching for any sign that she might bolt, but she looked calmer now. Still miffed, but not like she was going to punch his face in.

"I do need your help," she admitted, kicking the panties so that they slid under the couch.

"Hey," Seto said, annoyed. "I want those in the garbage, not under my couch."

"I didn't want to look at them anymore," she said, scowling. Seto could apparently appreciate the sentiment, because he didn't argue further.

"Are you sure those weren't Shina's?" Mokuba asked, knowing perfectly well that they were from his date last weekend.

"Shina wouldn't have worn pink," Seto glared. "And we certainly never would have gotten it on in my _car_."

"Because Seto has _class_," Rebecca interjected cuttingly.

"What did you want again?" Mokuba asked, annoyed. He had to agree with Seto, though; he couldn't imagine Shina doing anything the least bit improper. His brother's ex-girlfriend had been an ultracompetent, ambitious, soulless robot of a person with even less personality than those blonde floozies Rebecca kept yelling at him about.

"I wanted Seto's help." Rebecca looked at the older boy beseechingly; he looked at her warily. "Look, I want to date Yuugi-" she began, to which he let out a loud and uncharacteristically undignified snort.

"I know you don't care for him," she glowered, "But I'm not asking you to." Suddenly she looked nervous. "Actually, I'm sort of asking you to date Anzu."

Silence fell immediately and densely in the room.

"They've been hanging out together a lot," Rebecca rushed on, "And you know she's always had a thing for him. I just want her out of the way, you know? Otherwise occupied. Then I can have Yuugi to myself and make him see that he really likes me."

Seto looked at Mokuba. "Can you piss her off again so that she'll storm out?"

"I know it seems sudden," Rebecca said, childishly stamping her foot. "But I thought it out and I really think this is the best plan. I know you just broke up with Shina-"

"Good riddance," Mokuba added, crossing himself.

"-but you still need a date to office parties and such, and Anzu's pretty, so it would work out for you there," Rebecca said, approaching Seto beseechingly. "Plus it could be good business connections – you know she's got an internship with the department of education, managing camps that run during school breaks. Mokuba said you wanted to set up a Duel Monster-oriented camp in KaibaLand. She would be a good contact for that."

"Rebecca, it's very sweet of you to butt into my personal life," Seto said flatly, "But go jump off a bridge."

Since Seto and Rebecca were the only people capable of arguing as viciously as Mokuba and Rebecca, the younger Kaiba jumped in.

"Rebecca, Seto's had a rough day, you've told him your plan, let him think it over," Mokuba said, grabbing her again and this time steering her towards the front door. She let him drag her away, flashing a petulant pout at Seto over her shoulder, which he ignored.

"MK, talk with him for me?" she asked in a low voice once they were in the entrance hall.

Well, if she was calling him by that stupid nickname again, she wasn't mad anymore. MK – some dumb thing she'd picked up in America, calling people by their initials, and putting the family name last. Luckily, Mokuba knew how to get her back.

"Sure I will, Becky," he promised, grinning when her eyes flashed angry again. "I _will_," he said to reassure her, opening the door and shooing her out. "Run along home like a good little girl. I'll call you tonight." He patted her bum, and Rebecca turned around snarling to rip his throat out, and he shut the door in her face.

* * *

"Come on, Seto," Mokuba said, wandering back into the living room after showing Rebecca out. "Help her out. It's not like she's asking a lot, either – Anzu's no bag lady. Might even make Shina jealous to know that you're dating another beautiful woman."

Seto turned to look at Mokuba with real surprise. "I thought I was doing you a favor by refusing to go along with her plan," he said, frowning.

_Uh-oh_. "Why's that?" Mokuba asked, trying and failing to sound casual.

Seto rolled his eyes. "Come on, Mokuba, it's obvious that you're carrying a major torch for Rebecca. All these women you bring home are just Rebecca replacements – blonde, curvy American girls. But dumb, because if they actually had personality, you'd notice that they weren't Rebecca."

"You never thought to tell me that you noticed this?" Mokuba complained, putting his hands on his hips and glaring at Seto, not bothering to deny the accusation.

"I was hoping you'd work it out on your own," Seto said, going in the kitchen to pour himself a glass of juice. "I don't know why you don't just tell her."

"It's not that easy," Mokuba said, following Seto. "She's totally obsessed with Yuugi."

"_Obelisk_ knows why," Seto said with sudden heat, and Mokuba had to laugh at that.

"Either way, Mokuba," Seto said, leaning against the counter. "You really need to get your love life back on track. Enough fooling around with the cloned women, it's getting sickening."

"You're one to talk!" Mokuba retorted. "Like your love life is any better than mine."

Seto glared. "I don't know what you are talking about," he said with dignity. "I date mature, successful women."

"You date nasty robotic control freaks," Mokuba shot back. "I think it's because after all these years, you still feel more comfortable around machines than people, so you pick women who are as cold and empty as a machine."

Seto and Mokuba were both very strong personalities, and this kitchen had seen a lot of squabbles and even a few shouting matches. Fortunately, they both loved each other deeply, and had become very good at compromising.

"I am perfectly capable of dealing with feelings," Seto said, eyes narrowed.

"Prove it," Mokuba challenged. "Do this favor for Rebecca and date Anzu. She's more human than all your past girlfriends combined."

"That's ridiculous," Seto said patiently. "One person can't be _more human _than the rest."

"She's got more warmth, more spirit, and more energy than them all," Mokuba countered, then rethought his words. "More _positive_ energy, that is." He smirked, a trait he had clearly picked up from his older brother. "I don't even know if you'd be able to handle her."

Seto smirked right back. "Of course I could. I could handle any woman, even one as emotional as Mazaki." He paused. "That doesn't mean I'd want to, though."

Mokuba started to argue, and Seto held up a hand. "Wait. I propose a truce." Mokuba waited.

"I'll do this thing," Seto said slowly. "I'll seduce Mazaki. I'll have a relationship with her. _If_ you tell Rebecca how you feel about her."

Mokuba started to protest, and Seto shook his head. "We're going to be even on this," he said firmly. "If I'm going to have the kind of relationship you want for me, you'll have the kind of relationship I want for you."

"You'll really have a relationship with Anzu?" Mokuba asked doubtfully.

"Well, there'll have to be a deadline," Seto said, wrinkling his nose. "Maybe after one month."

Mokuba shook his head. "No way, that's no way to measure the quality of a relationship." He paused to think. "After she says she loves you."

Seto looked startled, so Mokuba asked, "Women _have _told you that they loved you before, right?"

"Of course," Seto said indignantly.

"Have they meant it?" Mokuba asked, this time mischievously. Seto just gave him a dirty look. "Okay, okay." Mokuba gathered his thoughts. "So if you get Anzu to fall in love with you – and to actually say it – I'll tell Rebecca how I feel about her."

"It's a deal." Seto reached across the counter to shake his hand, and after a moment, Mokuba accepted.

"Now get that underwear out from under the couch and burn it," Seto said.


	2. A business meeting

Chapter 2: A Business Meeting

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Note: Thank you SO much, reviewers… you make me feel warm inside! So, my goal in writing this story was to finally capture Seto's true snarky character, after fluffing him up a LOT in my previous stories, especially the last two. You'll have to let me know how I do. ;) (I also wanted to play with the idea of the uber-privileged Mokuba going through a rough spot as a womanizing jerk in his teenage years, but I failed at that – Mokuba's sweetness wrote itself!) Finally, I agree with you, ForeverBlue90, and I also am a mad Anzu fan. Try to bear that in mind during future chapters, when you might think you want to kill me!

* * *

"It _has_ occurred to me that I'm making your job harder," Seto said, pausing with one hand on the door to look at Mokuba. "When I get Mazaki to go out with me, Rebecca will get a chance to hang out with Yuugi. What if they really do get together?"

"It's a shame you don't have more faith in yourself," Mokuba said sarcastically. "You should work on that. I hear Anzu likes confident men."

Seto shook his head.

"Anyway, I don't care," Mokuba said defiantly. "If she and Yuugi really like each other, then they should be happy together. But I have a feeling that Yuugi doesn't like her," he added. "I can tell from the way he acts around her that he just thinks of her as a friend."

"You can tell what Yuugi thinks underneath that sticky layer of sappiness and naivety?" Without waiting for a reply, Seto yanked open the door of the pizza shop and entered, Mokuba close on his heels.

Just as Rebecca had promised, she was sitting at a big booth with Yuugi and Anzu as well as their other friends, Jounouchi and Honda. "Yeah, I've been here before," she was saying brightly. "In fact, Mokuba and Seto and I come here a lot. The Kaibas like this place too."

"You mean Kaiba eats pizza? I thought he ate rusty nails and people's souls," Jounouchi said doubtfully.

"Just for dessert," Rebecca said acidly.

"I'm going to hate this," Seto whispered to Mokuba.

"That's fine. Forfeit the deal," Mokuba said, turning around to leave. Seto's hand shot out and grabbed his sleeve.

"Rebecca, what are you doing here?" Seto said, his voice hearty and completely fake.

The whole booth glanced up. Jounouchi choked on his soda.

"Oh, hey, Seto. Mokuba," Rebecca said, just as cheerful and fake. "You guys here for dinner?"

"Seto usually cooks," Mokuba lied, looking at Anzu, who seemed like the kind of girl to be impressed by a man's cooking. "But tonight he was tired so I talked him into pizza."

"Want to join us?" Yuugi asked. Rebecca and Mokuba silently blessed him; Jounouchi and Seto tried to kill him with their minds.

Seto made a show of hesitating, then noticing Anzu and letting his gaze linger on her. She noticed him noticing her and quirked her brow at him.

"Yes," Mokuba said firmly.

"Okay…" Seto said more slowly, still looking at Anzu.

Rebecca gladly slid over, squishing herself next to Yuugi. Mokuba slid in beside her and Seto took a seat next to Anzu.

"Kaiba, they take special orders here," Jounouchi said loudly. "Should we order you a pizza covered with the hopes and dreams of small children?"

"That gives me indigestion," Seto said coldly. "I prefer the blood and guts of inferior duelists."

"We should have met at the bar," Mokuba whispered to Rebecca.

"Here." She passed him a bottle under the table. "I thought the night might go like this."

* * *

"What a fun evening," Mokuba said cheerfully in the car on the way home.

Rebecca glared. "I didn't get to talk to Yuugi at _all_. He sat there looking scared the whole time while you and I tried to distract Jounouchi from picking a fight with Seto."

"Yeah, we were having a real hard time of it," Mokuba informed Seto, "so we spiked Jounouchi's drink. That finally mellowed him."

"Was that why he was singing by the end of the evening?" Seto asked with a grimace.

"Well, he does that sometimes anyway," Rebecca confessed. "Although I think the alcohol actually made him more in tune."

Seto winced, his ears still aching. "Remind me never to go to karaoke night."

"Sorry, I promised we'd both be there," Mokuba said unapologetically. "That's this weekend."

"What?" Seto hit the breaks sharply, causing Mokuba and Rebecca to lurch forward in their seats.

"Seto!" Rebecca grabbed at her seatbelt. "I am _way_ too full of pizza for you to be doing that."

Seto hit the gas, then the breaks again to annoy her before resuming the drive back to the Hopkins' place. "Why couldn't Yuugi drive you home?" he asked, just to be mean.

Rebecca glowered. "Because your dumb brother told him my house was on your way home, that's why."

"Oops," Mokuba said, as unapologetically as before.

"He picked me up, though," she said, staring out the window. "I had to sit in the back between Honda and Jounouchi. Anzu got shotgun."

"I didn't want to tell you this, but you picked up their smell," Seto said. "That's why I had to put the windows down."

"Did you get a date with Anzu?" Mokuba asked hastily, before Rebecca could snap back. "Please tell me you got a date with Anzu. Rebecca and I worked really hard to distract everyone else so you could work your magic."

"I got her number." Seto patted his pocket. "In a purely professional capacity. I asked her about setting up camp at KaibaLand and she said she would arrange a meeting with us and her supervisor."

"Ooh, how romantic. When's the wedding?" Rebecca asked sarcastically.

"I'm doing you a favor, don't push it," Seto said. "Actually, I'm doing you two favors, so if you don't shut your mouth, I'll pull over and you can walk home."

"You could use the exercise," Mokuba said helpfully. "You did have a lot of pizza tonight." Then he leaned forward in his seat so that she couldn't hit him.

* * *

"Seto," Anzu said brightly. "Good afternoon."

"_Kaiba-san_ and I are pleased to be here," Shina said coldly and formally.

Seto sighed. He'd had little choice but to bring Shina along to the meeting with Anzu and her boss, the director of Domino's official camp program – she was, after all, the manager of KaibaLand. _This is what I get for dating an employee,_ he thought irritably.

Anzu was clearly startled at being cut off like that, and instinctively looked over at Seto for a cue. Seto was rubbing the bridge of his nose, and Anzu apparently read that as acknowledgment that Shina was a soulless bitch – which was pretty much accurate.

"Glad you could make it," Anzu said sweetly, giving Shina a ridiculously large smile, then sidling over and taking Seto's arm. "If you'll follow me into our conference room, _Okada-san_ will join us in a moment."

Shina looked coldly disapproving. Anzu sped up with Seto until she was nearly dragging him across the foyer, forcing Shina to take quick, mincing steps in her tight black skirt and black stilettos to keep up. "Have a seat," Anzu indicated, and Seto and Shina sat at one end of the table in the conference room. A moment later, Okada Akio entered the room, clapping his hands together. He was dark-skinned and beaming; he looked friendly and open and everything that a camp director should be. Seto looked at Shina, pale and blonde and frigid and severe, and had to grin. _You're outmatched here, babe_.

"Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long!" Okada said, sliding into a seat next to Anzu.

"Not at all," Seto said.

"We just arrived, Okada-san," Shina said.

"Oh, please, call me Akio. Anything I can get you folks before we get started?"

Seto shook his head, but Shina said with a mean little smile, "Coffee would be nice." She stared directly at Anzu.

Both Anzu and Akio looked taken aback by this request. Seto flinched again. When he'd told Shina about this meeting, he'd mentioned that Anzu was an intern with the department, which she apparently took to mean that Anzu was the glorified errand girl. While that would have been a fine assumption at KaibaCorp, things were run differently in the Camp Department.

Akio half-turned to Anzu, looking apologetic, and Seto leapt to his feet. "I'll get it," he said with his best charming smile. "I see your coffee pot right over there."

Normally Seto would have been the first one to start bossing people around and demanding coffee, but he had several good reasons for offering to get it himself now. He wanted to appear amiable in front of Akio, because he really did want this camp to work out. He wanted to make Anzu feel indebted to him, because he had to seduce her to win the stupid deal. And he wanted to piss off Shina. Right now, that last was his strongest motivating factor.

Unfortunately, he'd never made his own coffee in his life.

_This can't be that hard, I work with machines for a living,_ he thought, staring at the gleaming chrome and rows of buttons.

"It's a percolator coffee machine," Anzu whispered, coming up behind him. "It's really old. Are you sure you want to…?"

"Sit, sit," he whispered back, still smiling. It was unusual for his face to get this much exercise. "I've got this."

Anzu shrugged and returned to her seat. Shina pulled out a thick file from her briefcase and set it down with a heavy _plop_ in front of Akio. "Information about KaibaLand," she explained crisply. "History, financial records, summary of goals, and here – in the back, color coded under the blue tab-" she flipped the file open to the right section – "a bullet-pointed list of advantages to you in allowing KaibaCorp to open up a Duel Monsters-based camp branch located at KaibaLand."

Akio looked mildly stunned, and tentatively reached out and touched the inch-thick file. Seto silently groaned and dumped the coffee grinds in the top of the machine, shutting the lid and flicking the brew switch in a hurry. He had to get back there and salvage this meeting.

"Akio," he said, sliding in across from the director. "I've followed your camp program for a while – I have a little brother, you know, and when he was younger he attended a water sports camp during summer break. I was impressed at how you managed to incorporate important learning skills into what was a fun time for the kids. Mokuba came home telling me all sorts of things about marine biology, in addition to looking really healthy and happy." Seto leaned forward. "I also know that camp participation has declined slightly over the last three years. Duel Monsters is a huge fad right now and a themed camp could really bring in a new crowd."

"So how does it stimulate the kids?" Akio asked, leaning forward too. "Is it just a game or is there learning involved?"

"That's explained in the blue section," Shina began, and Seto cut her off. "It's excellent strategy," he said firmly. "It forces the children to think ahead and to plan – as well as to be creative and flexible. Not only that, but each of the cards has a rich history that could be the basis for miniature lessons."

"There's a whole series of cards that are plant-themed," Anzu chimed in. "That could be a way to talk about botany. History, religion, mythology… there's potential to learn about all of those."

"Math," Seto joked. "When I was a kid, we had to add and subtract lifepoints on scrap paper."

Anzu and Akio laughed, Anzu's amusement tempered by her astonishment that Seto had made a joke. Well, he was a good businessperson, and he hadn't gotten to be that way by being a boring conversationalist. Unlike his icy counterpart over there. She looked at Shina with distaste.

"Well, that's partly your fault, isn't it?" Akio said, leaning back in his chair. "You helped invent those fancy systems that do the math for the kids."

"Guilty," Seto acknowledged, and got up to get the coffee. Shina was sitting stiffly in her chair, and she scowled at him, but he ignored her. She'd gotten the position of KaibaLand manager because she was extremely efficient; Seto had no desire to fire her, especially since he would hate to work against her if she was hired by one of KaibaCorp's rivals; but she did make meetings like this difficult. She hadn't quite learned personal skills, something that had been a severe impediment in their personal relationship (which was saying a _lot_, considering he wasn't exactly Mr. Personality either). Sex with her had been like sex with a machine, which was why they'd only done it exactly twice in their four-month relationship, Seto remembered with distaste.

He poured the coffee without looking and hurried back to the table, eager to keep winding in Akio now that he'd gotten the man hooked. Anzu accepted her mug and paused with it raised to her lips, but Akio took a sip without looking, and suddenly his face contorted.

"What's wrong with the coffee?" Shina hissed, looking at her own mug. Seto glanced down to see black specks floating in it.

"Kaiba, did you remember the filter?" Anzu murmured under her breath, but the whole room heard anyway.

Trying to save face, Seto took a determined sip of his own coffee, mastering his first impulse to spit it out everywhere. "I'm so sorry, I've become unaccustomed to drinking it like this and I forgot that some people prefer it filtered," he lied, blinking rapidly.

"You drink it unfiltered?" Akio asked, still grimacing.

"Oh, yes," Seto nodded, his mind racing. "A friend of mine from Europe got me onto it. Apparently it's a fad over there."

Anzu rolled her eyes, clearly not buying a word of it. Shina stared at him in disbelief.

"I haven't heard about this fad," Akio said doubtfully, pushing his mug away. "I think I prefer mine the normal way."

"I'll make another pot," Anzu offered, jumping up. "For those of us that prefer it _filtered_." Her voice cracked a little on this last word and she turned her back in a hurry so that no one would see her laugh.

Seto took a deep breath and another slurp of the disgusting coffee. "So tell me about the process for adding a new camp to your lineup," he said, smiling bravely.

* * *

"It was a pleasure meeting with you, Seto," Akio said, shaking his hand two hours later. "Call me when you have the draft proposal ready, and we'll arrange another meeting to hammer out a schedule. Maybe we can even get a trial KaibaCamp up and running in time for winter break."

"Will do," Seto nodded.

"A pleasure, Shina," Akio said, transferring his attention to her.

"Likewise," she said.

"Thank you, Anzu, for arranging this meeting," Akio added, clapping Anzu on the shoulder. "A job well done. We'll have to include you in the future planning, eh? For now, I have to head out for a meeting with the equestrian center, so I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow, boss," Anzu said, smiling as he left the room. She started to follow him out, but Seto stopped her with a touch to her arm. "Anzu, can I have a word?" he asked. "Shina, I'll meet you outside."

Shina pressed her lips tightly together, but collected her briefcase and left without a word. Anzu backed up and sat on the conference table, beaming at him.

"This is great," she said enthusiastically. "This could be my big break, helping to start a KaibaLand dueling camp. Right now this is just an internship, but who knows? Maybe if I do a really good job arranging this camp, they'll offer me a full-time position."

"Congratulations," Seto said, and to his surprise he meant it. Anzu might still be an annoying cheerleader, but right now she was directing all her pep towards making KaibaCamp a reality, so he could tolerate her. Maybe. _I'll have to tolerate her if I'm going to seduce her,_ he reminded himself. _Speaking of which…_

"Let me take you out for a celebratory drink," he said. He wasn't smiling anymore, because he had done quite enough of that during the meeting, but at least he refrained from scowling. "We can talk more about camp plans, so you can keep impressing your boss by being a step ahead."

Anzu looked surprised by the offer. "Well, thanks, Kaiba." She paused. "I heard you were coming to karaoke night."

Despite himself, Seto grimaced. "I heard that too," he said dryly.

Anzu laughed. "Mokuba wheedled you into it, huh? It's actually a fun time." She looked doubtfully at him, obviously trying to make him fit into her idea of a good time. Seto sighed and swallowed a retort. "So I'll see you there, right?"

"Yeah, you'll see me there," Seto said, waving a mental white flag. "But let me also take you out for drinks before then. Would that be okay? What are you doing tonight?"

Now Anzu really looked surprised. "Um… tonight? Well… I'm sort of behind on laundry… I have to go to the bank after work… supposed to call my mom…" she trailed off, blushing at being caught floundering for excuses.

Seto waited patiently, working ferociously to keep a scowl off his face. Inside, he was fuming. It was just plain undignified, that's what it was, sitting here listening to Anzu make lame excuses not to go out with him. First of all, she should be so lucky that _he_, Kaiba Seto, billionaire genius CEO, would actually consider her a worthy date…

_I'm doing this for Mokuba_, he reminded himself. _He really needs to tell Rebecca how he feels, and winning this deal is the only way I can get him to confess anytime soon._

_Also, I _really_ hate losing._

He waited; Anzu's small brain was uncomplicated and by his calculations, she would be guilted into having a drink with him in about three seconds.

"…but really nothing that can't wait until tomorrow," Anzu concluded, feeling tremendously guilty. "So, sure, I'd love to have drinks with you tonight."

"I'd love it," Seto echoed flatly. "Pick you up at seven?" He was gone before she had a chance to respond.


	3. Mokuba's project

Chapter 3: Mokuba's Project

* * *

_Jeans,_ Seto thought, staring at Anzu at exactly 6:55 that evening. _She's wearing jeans_.

Anzu looked just as surprised at Seto's outfit. "Am I underdressed?" she asked doubtfully, looking at his suit and tie. "I could change…"

Seto was about to say that of _course_ she should change, where did she think they were going, the thrift store? Then he remembered something he'd heard once, that you should never ask a woman to change for you. _Now did they mean clothes or personality?_

"No, you look great the way you are," Seto emphasized. At least she wasn't hideous; there was no way he could take her out in public wearing that outfit if she was one iota less attractive. No makeup, though. He suppressed a sigh.

Anzu self-consciously followed Seto out to the waiting car. On the bright side, he hadn't brought a pretentious limousine. On the downside, he still had a driver. Seto held the door for her and she slid into the car nervously, wondering if one was expected to greet the driver and what she should say.

Seto got in next to her and the car pulled away from the curb. An awkward silence descended until Anzu cleared her throat and asked, "So where are we going?"

"Sakura's," Seto replied.

"_Sakura's_?" Anzu asked in surprise, thinking of the brand-new five-star restaurant that had just opened up on the ritzy end of town. "I thought we were just going for drinks!"

"They have a bar," Seto said. Anzu tugged at the door handle. "What are you doing?" he asked, alarmed. "We're on the highway!"

"Let me out, I have to change my outfit," she told him. "No way am I going into Sakura's wearing jeans."

Now _she gets it_, Seto thought irritably. "No, really, I said you were fine," he said, glancing at his watch. "Besides, we can't go back now, or we'll be late. I made 7:15 reservations."

"You made reservations for drinks?" Anzu asked incredulously.

Seto sighed. And Mokuba expected him to put up with this primitive?

* * *

Anzu stuck close to Seto as they entered Sakura's, hoping that he would camouflage her clearly too casual outfit. She was definitely the most underdressed one in the place. Seto stopped on their way in to greet several people who were apparently business associates, who barely acknowledged Anzu with a nod. She relaxed once they were sitting at the bar and her jeans weren't quite so obvious; at least she'd worn a nice black top.

"Sake," Seto told the bartender. He nodded and transferred his attention to Anzu, who had a moment of panic. She didn't drink very much, and when she did, she preferred fruity drinks with little umbrellas in the top. But she didn't think there was one single umbrella in all of Sakura, with its polished glass surfaces and elegant wooden walls.

"A martini," she said, hoping that sounded classy enough. She already wanted the night to be over.

"On my tab," Seto added.

"Oh, no-" Anzu protested, but halfheartedly. If he wanted to drag her out, away from her cozy couch and pressing pile of laundry, for ultraexpensive drinks, he'd better be prepared to pay.

"No, drinks are on me tonight. Since I invited you." He punctuated this statement with a crooked smile and a light touch to her arm and much to her shock, Anzu's heart skipped a beat.

_It's just because I had all those greasy fries with lunch_, she told herself firmly. _Clogging up my arteries._

"Well, thank you," she said, smiling back at him.

"So, do you like your job?" Seto asked.

Anzu paused for a moment to study him and make sure he actually cared about the answer. He didn't look particularly enthusiastic, but he wasn't falling asleep either, so she decided he was being sincere. Ish.

"I _love_ it," she said, perking up despite herself. "This internship is a really good fit for me, and I'm hoping that I can get a full-time job there. I'll find out in the fall. In university I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do with my life, you know? But I discovered that I really like working with children. Do you like kids?"

"I… can tolerate quiet ones," Seto said dubiously.

Anzu blinked. Their eyes met, and the same thought ran through both their heads: _I have nothing in common with this person_. The bartender set their drinks before them, and Anzu dove for hers desperately.

"I care about kids," Seto said defiantly, as if he wanted to prove Anzu and his own thought wrong. "I built KaibaLand, after all. Mokuba and I were willing to let it run in the red so that we could keep admission costs low."

"Red," said Anzu, clearly not understanding.

"Not profitable," Seto explained, mentally sighing. It had been a long time since he had to dumb things down this much. "It was costing more to maintain KaibaLand than we were making off it."

"Really?" Anzu looked surprised. "So you took a hit, just so underprivileged families could enjoy KaibaLand too?"

"Right," Seto said, mildly surprised that she caught on. "The deficit was nothing KaibaCorp couldn't afford. Although, since I hired Shina, we've just about broken even," he said reflectively. "She's very good."

"How did she do that?" Anzu asked.

"Oh, by cutting costs – replacing old bulbs with energy-efficient ones, putting in native plants that don't need as much water as the fancy imported ones, that sort of thing. She also had the idea to allow other companies to advertise within KaibaLand, so we've been getting revenue from that."

"She sounds like a very good manager," Anzu said diplomatically.

Seto narrowed his eyes. Anzu clearly hadn't liked Shina – not that he blamed her – but she felt like she had to be nice, even though the other girl wasn't even here. _Pathetic. Say what you feel,_ he thought cuttingly. Changing the subject, he asked, "So you discovered that you like working with children. Did you ever think about teaching?"

"I did think about it," Anzu said, looking brighter. "But I like the camp thing right now. It's nice because I get to help out with a lot of differently themed camps – it adds variety to my day, and it's great experience, you know – in fact, earlier today, before our meeting, I went to supervise that water sports camp, I think you said Mokuba went there once, and…"

Seto listened to her ramble on, nodding at all the right places. Good god, he was sick of energetic women. Shina had directed all her energy towards making his company profitable, which was good; his previous girlfriend was a personal trainer and ran at least eight miles a day; before that, his girlfriend Lora had started her own company (not as successful as KaibaCorp, of course) and was ferociously devoted to making it solvent. Anzu's energy manifested itself in her bubbly personality and was therefore the most annoying out of all the other girls he'd dated. Next, he was definitely dating someone low-key, like a professional massage therapist.

"Spring camp just started, and this is the first season I'm actually working at," Anzu chattered. "Camp runs during the three main school breaks – spring, summer, and winter. During the off-season the camp department staff works together to coordinate lesson plans for the upcoming year. We have plenty of weekend and after-school activities, of course, and we also host some field trips from local schools."

Well, he supposed that this career suited Anzu; she needed something to direct all that positive energy towards. Not a lot of money in it, though. He'd guessed, when he picked her up in front of a ramshackled apartment building with tiny windows, that she was struggling to make ends meet, like most university graduates. He was rich, though. Seto knew that this would make it easier for him to seduce most girls… but he wondered about Anzu. She'd always been different.

_Different. Stubborn. Backwards. Deluded – deluded, that's a good word for it,_ he thought, and drained his glass of sake.

* * *

Rebecca smoothed down her hair, her heart pounding with nervous anticipation, and rehearsed her opening line. _Hi, Yuugi – just stopped by to see how you were doing. Your grandpa is at my house right now! You should come over with him next time._

She pasted a smile on her face, pushed open the door to the Kame Game Shop, and froze. Yuugi was behind the counter, all right, and Kaiba Mokuba was next to him.

Yuugi glanced up when the door opened. "Oh, hey! Rebecca!"

"Hi, Yuugi, just stopped by to see how you were doing," she said dully, glaring daggers into the top of Mokuba's head. The jerk wouldn't even look up. "Hi, Rebecca," he said unenthusiastically.

"I'm doing great," Yuugi said, smiling at her. "You know what, I think my grandpa is at your place right now, visiting Arthur."

"Yeah, you should come with him next time," she said, still unable to pry her eyes away from Mokuba.

"I'll have to, one of these days," Yuugi said, this time sounding a little confused that she wasn't looking at him. "By the way, I like your shirt."

This finally snapped her out of it. "Thanks," she smiled. It was a cute blue top with puffy sleeves and buckles going down the shoulders, and two slim buckles crossed at her waist. She'd worn it for him – she knew he liked buckles.

"Well, I think I've got everything I need," Mokuba said, coming from around the counter, lugging a bag full of papers. "Thanks for the photocopies. I'll look over these and let you know what I think by Monday, okay?"

"That would be great, and thanks again so much, Mokuba," Yuugi said appreciatively. "Grandpa and I really appreciate this."

"It's not a problem at all. I'm happy to do it – Bando-sensei will probably let me work with him on his next project if I can prove I'm a good businessman," Mokuba told him.

Yuugi laughed. "Your work at KaibaCorp hasn't proven that already?"

"Bando-sensei doesn't believe in nepotism," Mokuba grinned. "He said I had to prove myself on my own terms."

"Well, I'm still grateful," Yuugi said.

"I'll see you at karaoke this weekend," Mokuba said, lifting a hand on his way out. "Seeya, Becky."

She pulled herself together enough to say, "Bye", and Mokuba left.

"Becky?" Yuugi asked her, leaning on the counter and grinning. "That's a cute nickname."

"It's horrid," she said automatically. "Uhh—Yuugi, will you excuse me?"

"Sure," he said, but she had already turned around and was dashing out the door after Mokuba. She caught up with him as he was getting into his car.

"What was that about?" she demanded, getting into the passenger seat without asking. Mokuba had already put the bag full of papers from Yuugi there, so she lifted it up and put it on her lap when she was seated. "What are these papers?"

Mokuba paused, standing outside the driver's door. "Hi, Becky. You want a ride?"

"Get in the car," she snapped. He complied, shaking his head. "So, tell me." She started to look through the bag.

"Don't do that." Mokuba snatched the bag away from her and put in the backseat. "Some of those are confidential." He started the car.

"Why is Yuugi giving you confidential papers?" she asked as the car pulled away.

Mokuba sighed. "Well, he and I just decided this today, but I'm going to write a business plan for the Game Shop. I talked to Bando-sensei after class and he said it could be my project this semester, and if I did really well on it, I could work with him spring semester."

"Why didn't you tell me about it?" Rebecca demanded, miffed, before she remembered that Mokuba wasn't obliged to share every detail of his personal life with her. She changed tactics. "Why does the Game Shop need a business plan?"

"They're operating in the red this year," Mokuba admitted. "Just _barely_ – the profits from the previous year cover it – but Mutou Sugoroku is worried."

"They _what?"_ Rebecca sat upright. "Why didn't he tell my grandfather about this? We didn't know they were in trouble! We could give them a loan, or _I_ could have worked out a business plan, or something!"

"Yuugi's grandpa was kind of embarrassed about it," Mokuba told her, his eyes on the road. "Yuugi really had to convince him to let me help out, and I sort of had to pass it off as a favor to me. Let me write you a business plan, please, I need a subject for my project. Like that."

"Oh." Rebecca sat back and frowned. "Well, I'm glad that they're getting help. But I wish I was the one helping them! My grandpa would want me to. The Mutous are our friends. And it would be a good way to impress Yuugi," she added as an afterthought.

Mokuba was silent. He knew Rebecca well, and in a moment, she would say…

"Let me work with you," she said abruptly.

"This is my semester project, Becky," he said with an exaggerated sigh.

"For Bando-sensei, right?" Rebecca demanded, referencing the finance professor that they both admired. "Well, I want to work with him next semester too! He won't mind if we work together on this project, and then he'll get two great students assisting him in the spring."

"Now you say 'do you mind, Mokuba, if I barge in on your project?'" he told her.

Rebecca waved her hand at that. "You don't mind. You and I have worked together on projects since secondary school. We make a good team. You're creative and I'm practical."

"I think this whole Anzu plan is very creative," Mokuba said, momentarily distracted.

"_Do_ you mind?" she asked, turning towards him in the dark car. He kept his eyes on the road and counted off the seconds to appropriately time his pause.

"No," he said at last. "I don't mind if we work together."


	4. Seto's seduction

Chapter 4: Seto's Seduction

* * *

Note: For this chapter you'll need to put on your imagination caps… I know nothing of Japanese music, and I am making the presumptive guess that most of my casual readers don't either, so I used the lyrics to American music and we can make the terrible assumption that some Japanese artist translated them. Also… see if you recognize one of the duets in this chapter! It was a corny joke, I know. By the way, as always I LOVE you reviewers, and I really love your reaction to Seto!

* * *

"You called Yuugi, right?" Mokuba asked Rebecca when she arrived at the Kaiba mansion on Saturday morning.

"Yes, he said it was fine if we worked together writing the Game Shop business plan," she nodded. "And you asked Bando-sensei?"

"He said he was pleased that you were contributing," Mokuba related. And then, because he couldn't help himself, he added, "What else did Yuugi say?"

Rebecca looked blank. "Umm, thanks and have a nice day?" She shrugged. "What else was I supposed to ask him?"

"I didn't mean about the business plan," Mokuba said, exasperated. "I meant about anything else. I thought you were trying to flirt with him."

"Oh." Rebecca bit her lip. "Well, I didn't really have the time. I just wanted to get permission and then hurry over here to start the project. Plus, I never mix business and pleasure," she added with a laugh.

"Smart girl," Seto said, coming up behind her. "It always ends in disaster."

"Yeah, yeah, we all know how you shouldn't have dated Shina since she was your employee." Rebecca rolled her eyes. "What you really mean is that you shouldn't have dated Shina because she was no good for you."

"Heartless robot," Mokuba added helpfully.

"At least she had self-control and class," Seto said, crossing his arms. "This brown-haired plebian you are forcing me to date has neither."

"Yeah, she has warmth and charm," Mokuba said sarcastically. "How disgusting."

"How are things going with Anzu?" Rebecca asked hopefully.

"If I have to listen to one more story about a cute child, I am going to throw one of us off my helicopter," Seto said, his eyes narrowed. "Right now, I'm leaning towards her."

Rebecca looked alarmed, but Mokuba laughed. "Nice bluff, Seto, but I saw you when you came home on Wednesday. If you'd really had a bad time, you would have stormed into the kitchen for a cup of coffee, then stormed up to your office and worked like a maniac until two in the morning. Instead you watched a movie with me."

Seto pursed his lips, clearly annoyed. "The evening was tolerable. But that's only because I have a lot of patience."

It was Rebecca's turn to laugh, and she tried to disguise it as a barrage of coughs. Seto looked at her disapprovingly. "What are you doing here anyway, Hopkins?"

"Spring semester project with Mokuba," she said, straightening up. "We're writing a business plan for the Kame Game Shop."

"That's _excellent_," Seto said with unexpected enthusiasm. Both younger ones looked surprised until he added, "Drive them to bankrupcy. I want to see them eat dirt."

"Charming," Rebecca said.

* * *

Mokuba and Rebecca worked for the next six hours, sprawled out on the floor in one of the offices, papers and financial records surrounding them. They stopped only for a snack break and Mokuba ended up making cookies while Rebecca "supervised" and stole dough.

"Delicious. You should add more chocolate chips," she said, tasting the batter.

At five forty, Mokuba stopped them, stretching tiredly. "We need to leave for karaoke night soon," he said, rubbing his eyes and looking at the clock. "Where's Seto…?"

They found him in his bedroom, lying on top of the covers, eyes determinedly squeezed shut and snoring.

"Oh, he's asleep, should we wake him?" Rebecca whispered.

Mokuba ignored her and went to stand in front of Seto, hands on his hips. "Coward."

Immediately, Seto's eyes flew open. "I am not a coward," he said firmly, despite clutching the pillow a little tighter. "I laid down to clear my head of the impending doom, and I found that it was so comfortable that I never want to get up."

"Comfortable in your bed? Or comfortable not singing?" Rebecca questioned.

"Let's get one thing straight," Seto said, sitting up hurriedly and glaring at her. "I am _not_ singing tonight."

"I'm pretty sure that no one expects you to," Mokuba said. "Now grab your shoes, we have to go."

Seto reluctantly rolled out of bed. Rebecca couldn't resist commenting loudly, "You're really going to wear a trenchcoat to the bar?"

"Don't make fun of his 'casual clothes', he gets touchy," Mokuba whispered. This time, however, Seto didn't rise to the bait. "If she can wear jeans to Sakura's, I can certainly wear this coat to the bar," he muttered, tugging on his boots.

* * *

"Could Kaiba look any more out of place?" Anzu murmured to Yuugi as the Kaibas and Rebecca entered the bar.

"Maybe if we put a smiling baby in his arms," Jounouchi suggested, overhearing.

Mokuba and Rebecca came over, grinning and laughing, and took seats by Yuugi. Seto made a beeline for Anzu and relaxed slightly when he was safely seated beside her. This didn't go unnoticed by anyone there – not by Rebecca, Mokuba, Yuugi, Anzu, or Jounouchi, and they all had different reactions. Rebecca looked smug, Mokuba pleased, Yuugi surprised, Anzu bewildered, and Jounouchi annoyed. Seto ignored them all.

"What kinds of wine do they have here?" Seto asked, looking in distaste at the tattered menu. "Do they have a Chianti Classico?"

Anzu patted his knee. "Why don't you try the house wine?"

Seto stared in revulsion at his knee, but before he turned to yell at her for invading his personal space and possibly infecting him with her bourgeoisie germs, he noticed the look of horror on Jounouchi's face. His reprimand died on his lips. _Oh, this could be good,_ he thought smugly. _Now _here's_ an excellent reason to put up with the cheerleader._ He draped an arm around the back of her chair, just letting his index finger brush over her back. "Good idea. I'll give the house wine a try," he said, smiling down at her.

The house wine tasted like it had been brewed in the kitchen sink, and unfortunately more of Anzu's friends showed up, including the brown-haired thug Honda and the white-haired bipolar kid Bakura, and not one of the people in the entire bar could carry a tune, and Jounouchi kept making snide comments like "If karaoke night was a duel, Kaiba, I'd mop the floor with you" before Rebecca and Mokuba hastily distracted him, so all in all the night was as bad as Seto had expected it to be. But at least no one dared suggest that he sing, and at least he seemed to be making considerable progress with Anzu, who really lightened up after her third ridiculous fruity drink with a stupid little umbrella in it.

Jounouchi insisted on torturing the whole room with his singing three times that night – three! When he first went up onstage, Seto concentrated extra hard on Anzu, trying to block out the off-pitch whining, until he realized what Jounouchi was singing.

"_You're so vain… you probably think this song is about you, you're so vain, I bet you think this song is about you, don't you, don't you?"_

Seto twisted in his seat to glare at Jounouchi. Anzu, suddenly realizing why Jounouchi had picked the song, snorted out half of her second drink. Jounouchi grinned at Kaiba and shook his hips; Seto looked away again in a hurry and clutched at his head. Rebecca, who had finally started to flirt with Yuugi, paused, then looked at Mokuba. "Doesn't he know what the next verse is?" she whispered.

Jounouchi _hadn't_, in fact, thought about the rest of the song lyrics, and everyone could see the frown appear on his face as the lyrics scrolled through the karaoke machine. He opted to hum instead of sing the words _You said that we made such a pretty pair_, but then launched into the chorus with vigor. "_YOU'RE SO VAIN…"_

"I think I'll have a third drink after all," Anzu said, draining the last of her raspberry margarita and making as if to stand up.

"I'll get it," Seto said, sprinting to his feet and heading for the bar in the back, far away from Jounouchi and his shaking hips.

Jounouchi talked Yuugi into singing, which Seto gathered didn't happen often, and after her third drink and his fifth beer, Anzu and Honda went giggling up onstage to sing a truly nauseating duet about… he couldn't even believe it… friendship.

"_Stick together through thick and thin!"_ Anzu warbled, holding out her hands dramatically. _"That's the meaning of a real friend – and when it's time to stand the test, friendship shines above the rest!_" Honda fell to his knees and sang, "_We'll be there!_"

_That song might as well have been written for this gang_, Seto thought in disgust, looking around at their sappy faces. Yuugi and Bakura and the mutt looked like they were enjoying the embarrassing performance. Rebecca looked amused and was trying unsuccessfully to smother her giggles. Mokuba had disappeared somewhere, but Seto didn't care. He had to get out of there, that instant. He started to stand up, only to have a heavy pair of hands clap down on his shoulders and shove him back into his seat.

"I thought you might try to run," Mokuba said, whispering from behind him. "Well, you can forget it."

"I didn't sign up for this," Seto groaned.

"Don't be a baby," Mokuba said unsympathetically.

So Seto sat through the rest of the song – Anzu had a semi-decent voice, although the lyrics overwhelmed any appreciation he might have felt. When she sat back down, face flushed and pleased, he was completely unable to lie and compliment her on her performance – that cheap house wine might have come back up if he tried – but luckily the mutt's crowing drowned out any conversation for a while.

Then Mokuba decided to betray the family name and go up and sing.

_I'll have to disown him_, Seto thought in horror. _Or fake his death and send him to live on a deserted island in the middle of the ocean for the rest of his life._

Mokuba grinned at Rebecca as he began to sing, and she took over a few verses later, and Seto had to laugh when he recognized the song.

"_You say ee-ther, I say eye-ther…"_

_It's a good song for them_, Seto thought, shaking his head. _They look so natural together, even up there making a scene of themselves. Mokuba really wants to be with her, and I can see that. So I've got to follow through with this deal. If I can get Anzu to fall in love with me, Mokuba will finally tell Rebecca that _he_ loves _her.

He looked over at Anzu and was surprised to find her staring at him. She'd been watching the softened, loving look on his face as he thought about his little brother. Anzu's head was slowly clearing after her three drinks, but her thought process was still a little muddled, and after she was caught staring, she continued to look at Seto for a while before slowly smiling at him.

He smiled back and put his arm around the back of her chair again, this time resting the whole palm of his hand on her lower back.

* * *

"Thanks for the ride, Kaiba," Anzu said, opening the door to get out.

"Seto," he corrected. "I think it's time you called me Seto, don't you?"

Anzu tipped her head to the side and looked at him. "I don't know."

Aware that she was still a little tipsy from the drinks, and that Mokuba and Rebecca were sitting in the backseat, Seto didn't lean in to kiss her. But he did ask, "Can I see you again?"

Anzu froze, her hand on the door handle. The way he'd phrased that left no more doubt in her mind that he was hitting on her. She still didn't actually like the guy, but at least he was becoming tolerable to be with. The old Kaiba Seto could never have made it through three minutes of karaoke evening with her friends, and certainly wouldn't still be speaking to her after that admittedly sappy duet with Honda. "Ummm…"

"Dinner on Monday night?" Seto pressed, ignoring Rebecca's pleased squirm in the backseat.

Anzu blinked twice, then threw her fate to the wind. "Well, okay. But do I have to wear a dress this time?"

"Only if you want me to take you somewhere nicer than McDonald's," Seto snapped, then felt Mokuba's not-so-subtle jab into his neck.

Anzu scowled at him. "Well, maybe you could use some greasy fast food," she retorted. "You're too skinny. It makes you look like the undead. Some sunshine wouldn't hurt, either."

"That's why I'm hanging around you," Seto shot back. "Your overpowering warmth makes you like a personal sun. If you try to radiate any more positive energy, you'll probably supernova."

"That was a compliment," Mokuba said loudly. "Seto admires your warmth. And supernova is good. Like being super."

"Pick me up at seven, and I'll wear dress pants," Anzu said, getting out and slamming the door and stomping away.

"I'll make reservations, don't be late," Seto yelled before the door shut, then revved the engine and pulled away from the curb.

"How on earth did you just get her to go out with you?" Rebecca asked, flattened against the backseat.

Seto shrugged, not as surprised as Rebecca. After all, he _was_ smart, rich, and powerful, albeit currently a little less than perfectly charming. "I think she likes my wit."

"I think she feels sorry for you," Mokuba said sourly.

Grinning viciously, knowing that Mokuba had eaten greasy bar food like mozzarella sticks and onion rings all evening, Seto did his new trick of slamming on the brakes, then gas, then brakes again. If only Anzu had also been in the car to get jostled around, that would make him feel truly satisfied.

* * *

Seto had a decent time at dinner on Monday night, despite Anzu being her usual annoying self and driving him crazy. Somehow they had been foolish enough to get onto the topic of Yuugi, and while Anzu was thankfully poised enough to not shout in a nice restaurant, they spent several minutes exchanging angry hisses – _"He's a little dweeb who used to pretend to have magical powers," "You're just bitter because he always beats you in Duel Monsters"_ – before dinner came. Seto searched around for safe topics before finding to his pleasant surprise that Anzu knew quite a lot about historic art.

"Rococco architecture is my favorite," Anzu said, taking a bite of fish. "It's light and playful."

"I prefer Baroque," Seto disagreed. "More dignified."

"Too solemn," Anzu said, wrinkling her nose. "Although I did like the Palace of Trier. My parents took me to Germany when I finished secondary school."

"Oh, you've been to Trier?" Seto asked, surprised at this evidence of sophistication. "Did you by any chance visit the _Rheinisches Landesmuseum_?"

"I did, it was fascinating," Anzu said enthusiastically.

It also helped his mood that she did indeed dress nicely, paring black dress pants with a strapless red top that had left him momentarily speechless when she first opened the door. The red top, combined with her good behavior towards the end of the evening made it much easier for Seto to kiss her, like he'd planned when he laid out the schedule of Anzu's seduction a few days ago. Like most of his dealings with Anzu thus far, that too went awry… although Seto later admitted that it wasn't entirely unpleasant.

As he'd hoped, Anzu invited him up to her place for coffee when he dropped her off. This time he'd driven to pick her up himself – a calculated move, as he'd noticed her discomfort at having a driver, and he guessed that she wouldn't ask him in if there was a driver waiting in the car. None of his other girlfriends had been that neurotic, they'd all understood that the driver was being paid for his time, but then again they'd all been raised more privileged than Anzu.

_How does she walk in here?_ Seto thought when he entered her tiny apartment for the first time. It was small, although he had to admit that he liked how she decorated it, open and friendly with blue and peach colors dominating.

Anzu gave him, not only coffee, but a large slice of chocolate cake. At his raised eyebrows, she said with a grin, "I wasn't kidding, you need to fatten up."

"Very funny," he scowled, but ate the cake anyway. He wasn't used to indulging in desserts, because his past girlfriends had been meticulous calorie counters, but the chocolate cake was delicious. _Maybe I should do this more often_, he thought with satisfaction after he licked the fork clean; heaven knew Mokuba kept the house well-stocked with sweets.

His plan had been to give Anzu a chaste kiss goodbye, but he looked at her sitting next to him, dreamily working her way through her own enormous piece of cake, and before he knew it, he was leaning over towards her. _Okay, I'll do this a little sooner, nothing wrong with hurrying it up so I can get this deal with Mokuba over with_, he told himself.

Anzu looked over at him and swallowed, putting her fork down. "Seto-" she began, her voice trembling slightly, before he cupped her face with his hands and she fell silent.

"Thanks for dinner," he murmured, his face hovering inches before hers.

"You paid," she pointed out (_always contrary_, he thought irritably), but didn't pull away.

"Thanks for _coming_ with me to dinner," Seto clarified, moving a little closer. "And for the chocolate cake. It was… delicious," he breathed, his lips now nearly on top of hers.

Anzu had a moment of panic, and tried to pull away, but Seto was still holding her face in his hands. _No, you're not backing out now, you've put me through enough already!_ he thought (although with slightly less irritation), and he leaned in swiftly for the kiss, pressing his mouth to hers. Almost immediately, he dropped his hands from her face and settled them loosely on her upper arms, where she could easily push him away if she wanted.

She tensed – drew away a little bit – then suddenly relaxed into his arms, tilting her head up to meet him at a better angle.

Seto could taste chocolate cake, and her mouth wasn't just warm, it was _hot_, and something about her soft lips moving against his banished all thoughts of the word _chaste_ from his mind. He stood up, pulling her with him, and she willingly followed, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him close.

_No way can this be the same mouth that blathers on about the power of friendship and being Yuugi's best buddy,_ he thought hazily, but was finding it hard to dredge up his past resentment. He finally gave up on thinking of snarky comments and focused entirely on Anzu's lips, still moving under his, on Anzu's body pressed against his own. He very quickly ran out of oxygen, which surprised him nearly as much as the kiss; he _never_ ran out of oxygen, it just didn't happen. _I don't need oxygen anyway_, he thought, and kept on kissing Anzu. He wanted _more_, he wanted her mouth to open for him, so he ran his tongue along the outside of her lips. She seemed reluctant to yield to him, but he was persistent, coaxing her with his tongue. Then he moved his hands from her back to her waist, pausing to dig his fingers firmly into her hips, and slid them upwards, under her shirt, feeling her silky smooth skin as he rubbed his hands along her sides. Anzu gasped, and he seized the opportunity and slipped his tongue into her mouth, and she finally moved her tongue hesitantly against his.

Seto dizzily lost track of the time – another thing that _never_ happened to him – so for all he knew, he could have been standing there making out with Anzu in her cramped kitchen for hours, rubbing his hands gently up and down her bare back underneath her shirt. He was finally jerked back to his senses when she shifted against him, brushing against the front of his pants and making him suddenly aware of the tightness down there.

Seto broke the kiss but didn't release Anzu; he held her pressed against his chest, his chin resting on the top of her head, while his heart pounded and he tried to collect his thoughts.

He was _hard_. He _never_ got hard just from kissing. Okay, he needed to stop saying _never_ now. He'd never kissed any girl like… well, like Anzu, so of course this would be a night of firsts.

She could probably feel his erection pressing into her belly. Seto would be embarrassed, except that from her ragged breathing and slight trembling, he knew that she was just as undone as he was.

In fact…

He shifted again, ignoring his own desires and the way the movement inflamed his own body, and to his delight Anzu let out an involuntary moan before clamping her lips tightly shut.

_Okay. I still have control over this_, Seto told himself, feeling better.

He tightened his arms around Anzu. "Come out with me tomorrow?"

"I- I can't tomorrow," she breathed. "I'm going shopping with some friends from university."

"Wednesday, then," he said. "I'll take you somewhere special."

To his surprise, Anzu stiffened a little. "What do you mean by 'special'?" she asked, her voice coming out steadily again, any hint of lust banished.

_Women. What did I say?_ "Somewhere you'll like," Seto said, pulling back a little, his brow creased.

"As long as 'special' isn't synonymous with 'ritzy'," she said. "I really don't like that sort of thing."

_Of course you don't like class,_ he thought, exasperated. _You probably want me to take you to the farm_. He controlled his impulse to insult her, and instead said, "Don't worry. I know you better by now."

She smiled up at him, and his head spun for a moment. Her lips were pink and swollen, he noticed with satisfaction. "So, Wednesday?"

"Yes," Anzu said.

"All right, then." He was reluctant to let go of her – _only because I'm doing so well seducing her, as per the PLAN, and I hate to give that up_ – so he bent down and kissed her again, softly and gently this time, before prying himself away. "See you then."

Anzu walked him to the door, and after it shut behind him, he bolted outside, into the cool night air, and leaned against the side of the building for a moment. She'd gotten annoying again at the end – so why was he still hard?

_God knew that her personality would be intolerable, so he gave her lots of sex appeal,_ Seto decided. _LOTS of sex appeal._


	5. Dress shopping

Chapter 5: Dress Shopping

* * *

Note: You reviewers are seriously the best. I still plan for this story to be just 8 or 9 chapters so things will start moving faster. Chapter 6 is pretty much written and Seto gets a little carried away sooo I might bump the rating up to M… it's really not too graphic and I don't think it will offend anyone but I'd rather play it safe.

* * *

Rebecca was getting ready to leave the Kaiba mansion after a long night working on her spring semester project – writing a business plan for the Kame Game shop – with Mokuba when Seto walked in.

Rebecca grinned. Seto had been dating Anzu for the past month, and her plan was going swimmingly – no way was Anzu seeing Yuugi now. Of course, she herself hadn't spent much time with Yuugi lately… she was pretty busy with the project with Mokuba. _When this is done, I'll ask him out for dinner_, she told herself.

Seto pretty much looked in one of two moods when he came back. He looked like someone had smacked him upside the head with a baseball bat – that is, distracted and unfocused – or annoyed. The first mood usually meant that he and Anzu had concluded the evening with a make-out session, the latter that they had started with the make-out session and ended with a fight.

_I REALLY don't know why she puts up with him_, Rebecca thought. _I wouldn't have thought that she would get along with such a grouch – and they _don't_ even seem to get along, that's the thing – but maybe she's one of those girls who enjoys squabbling with her guy. Some girls think it puts spice into their relationship. Anzu's always been very passionate, so I guess that must be it._

The idea that she, Rebecca Hopkins, was also the kind of girl who would enjoy a relationship characterized by lovers' tiffs never occurred to her.

Tonight Seto was distracted. "So, how'd it go?" she asked loudly, knowing from experience that it would only take a second to snap him out of it, now that he was away from Anzu.

"Huh? Oh, hi, Hopkins." Seto frowned. "Don't you have your own house?"

"How was the date?" Mokuba asked pointedly.

Seto sighed. "I think Anzu and I are ready to take the next step."

Mokuba and Rebecca exchanged alarmed looks. "Marriage?" she gasped. "Sex?" Mokuba asked. They glared at each other.

"No, no, nothing like that, you drama queens," Seto scowled. "I invited her to KaibaCorp's next office party. It's going to be a big night – we have a very important potential client planning to attend."

"Oh, that's great!" Rebecca enthused.

"You'll need a date too, Mokuba," Seto added.

"No problem. Becky will come with me," he said offhandedly.

She glared again. "I most certainly will not! I have a reputation to maintain."

"You want to keep an eye on Anzu and Seto, don't you?" Mokuba asked. "Besides, they always have really good food at these things."

She folded her arms. "Is there dessert?"

"A huge selection, plus I make sure they have chocolate parfait," Mokuba reassured her.

"Well, fine," Rebecca caved.

"Wow, Hopkins, you need to stop playing so hard to get, people will think you're frigid," Seto said, taking off his jacket and throwing it over the back of the couch. "Maybe you can go dress shopping with Anzu. I need to make sure she picks out something appropriate."

"She's going to get a new dress for this?" Rebecca asked.

Seto rolled his eyes. "She dresses like a farmer most of the time, of course she needs a new outfit." He remembered his conversation with Anzu… _"So this is a very extravagant occasion," he said, eyeing her pink cotton skirt with distaste. "You should wear a nice dress."_

_Anzu looked down at her outfit and looked outraged. "Nice by _my_ standards," Seto clarified._

_She looked like she was going to pick a fight with him, but he distracted her by handing her his credit card. "It's on me."_

"_Oh, no, I couldn't…" she protested, and her voice trailed off. Really, she couldn't afford a dress as fancy as he would want her to be dressed, and if she was going to be his date for this thing, she ought to make a good impression._

_Seto watched the train of thought go through her head as easily as if he were reading a book and nodded. "Look, Anzu, it's not like I can't afford it."_

"_Fine," she sighed._

"Well, I don't want a new dress," Rebecca was saying. "I have one that I bought for graduation that will be fine."

"I remember that dress, and it was _cotton_," Seto said, walking into the kitchen. "You're buying a new dress, and I'm paying. I don't want to hear a word about it, either. The Kaiba brothers need well-dressed dates. We have a reputation to maintain," he added, echoing her words from earlier.

"I'm going to eat too much chocolate parfait and puke everywhere, just to spite him," Rebecca mumbled to Mokuba. "Anyway, I'm out of here," she said in her normal tone of voice. "I'll call Anzu and tell her that I was also roped into dress hunting. I mean shopping. _Ugh._"

"See you in class tomorrow," Mokuba said as she left. He followed Seto into the kitchen, where his older brother was helping himself to chocolate cake for the third time this week. "Got a craving, huh?" he asked with curiosity.

"I _hate_ chocolate cake," Seto informed him, stuffing a huge piece dripping with frosting into his mouth.

"Uh-huh," Mokuba said, shaking his head. "So, you're taking Anzu to meet the KaibaCorp staff. That's a pretty big deal."

"_And_ the staff of Tokyo Tech, which is an even bigger deal," Seto said with a groan. "I'm really not sure that I want to do this – she just can't keep that damn mouth shut – but I do need a date."

"No you don't," Mokuba reminded him. "There's nothing wrong with being single."

"I have an image to maintain, and I need a date," Seto said firmly.

"Get over these reputations and images," Mokuba groused. "I think you'd be a lot more interesting if you ran naked down Main Street."

"I wouldn't want to cause such injury," Seto said with dignity. "All those fainting girls could hit their heads on their way down."

Mokuba laughed and stole a chunk of cake with his bare fingers. Seto tried to stab him with his fork, but Mokuba was too quick.

"You know, you're well on your way to losing this deal," Seto said to his little brother, eyes narrowed.

"I doubt it," Mokuba informed him. "Anzu isn't the type of girl to be impressed by your fake charm and riches."

"She seems to be capitulating so far," Seto said smugly, to which Mokuba just shook his head.

"Anyway, even if I do lose, I think I'd be okay with that," Mokuba said thoughtfully. "Because it would be worth your happiness."

"Happy because I could finally dump Mazaki?" Seto asked with his eyebrows raised.

"No," Mokuba said, ignoring Seto's snark. "Because you'd finally have found someone."

"Remember the terms of the deal," Seto said, scowling. "I win if _she_ tells _me _that she loves me. The moment that happens, this thing is over. Me finding someone is not in the equation."

"No, I know Anzu," Mokuba grinned. "She won't say that she loves you until she really does, and until she's convinced that you care for her too."

Seto looked worried for a moment, before he shook his head. "I don't care about her at all, but I'm sure that she's already falling for me," he told Mokuba. "I'm too good an actor for her – it helps that she's so naïve and wants to believe that everyone has good intentions."

"Sure." Mokuba stole another piece of cake with lightning speed. "Time will tell, eh, brother?"

"Time will tell." Seto picked up his cake and carried it out of the room.

* * *

"Hey, look," Mokuba said, picking a dress up. "This one is see-through. I found a good one for you, Becky."

"Too much fabric," Rebecca said with a glance. "I want something skimpier."

"Why not just wear your bathing suit with some nice jewelry?" Anzu suggested.

"Perfect!" Mokuba said with enthusiasm, slinging an arm around Rebecca's shoulders.

"Well, that's settled," Rebecca said, shaking her head. "Now we just need something for Anzu."

"Can I assist mademoiselle?" the French owner of the shop asked in a disapproving tone, glaring menacingly at a laughing Anzu through his pince-nez until he caught sight of Mokuba, and his eyes widened.

"No thanks, Claude," Mokuba said disinterestedly, waving him away. "We'll let you know if we need anything."

"Very good, monsieur Kaiba," Claude said, disappearing as fast as he'd come.

"Try this one on," Rebecca urged, handing Anzu a bright orange dress. Anzu stifled a giggle. "Would your brother have a fit?" she asked, looking at Mokuba, who reluctantly nodded.

"Yeah. Yeah, he would."

"Maybe I should be safe and stick with black," Anzu sighed, thumbing through the racks of dresses.

"No," Mokuba said immediately. "Shina wears black exclusively, and she looks like the mistress of death."

Anzu laughed again. "Seto's told me about her," she said, shaking her head. "I've met Shina a couple of times in staff meetings and I just don't get her. Does she take any joy from life?"

"Robots don't feel emotion," Mokuba informed her.

"It's so weird that Seto went from dating her to _me_," Anzu said with a frown, stopping to examine a deep purple dress with off-the-shoulder sleeves. "She and I are pretty much opposites."

Rebecca, who had never been a very good actress, went into a coughing fit. Anzu turned to look at her, concerned, and Mokuba rolled his eyes and stepped between them.

"Luckily for you, Hopkins, I have standards a lot more lax than my brother's," Mokuba announced. She stopped coughing to immediately frown and started to say "Yeah, we all figured that out after you stuck your tongue down that last Barbie's throat-"

"And I like women wearing orange dresses," Mokuba interrupted hastily, before she could go further along that train of thought. "So I think _you_ should try that dress on for the party."

"Oh." Rebeca looked back at the dress. It wasn't purely orange, it faded to yellow at the hem and was a much deeper orange, almost red, at the top. Spaghetti straps held up a princess neckline; the cut was elegant but the colors were bright and beautiful, and she did like the dress a lot.

"Well, I'll try it on," she said off-handedly.

"And I'll try these on," Anzu said, coming up with the purple dress and a dark green one.

The girls entered the dressing room, and Anzu came out first, wearing the purple dress. "What do you think?" she asked with a grin, placing a hand on her hip and striking a pose.

"I like it," Mokuba said honestly. It was elegant and modest without being morbid. The dress had a full skirt that would trail behind Anzu as she walked, and he knew that Seto thought that style was very dignified. And purple was a very pretty color on Anzu; it picked up her rosy cheeks and blue eyes.

"MK, can you help me with the zipper? I think it's caught," Rebecca said, emerging. Mokuba turned toward her and then froze, slack-jawed.

The dress clung to her every curve, accentuating assets that Rebecca usually preferred to keep masked underneath jackets. The princess neckline hugged her big, round breasts, dipping slightly into a vee to give him a hint of cleavage. It was tight around her hips and upper thighs, then dropped straight down to mid-calf, leading to vivid fantasies about the excellent pair of legs under there. Even better, Rebecca had yanked her hair out of its usual ponytail, and now it tumbled in loose curls around her shoulders. She had eschewed her usual glasses for contact lenses today, although Mokuba was secretly disappointed; he liked her in glasses.

But he _really_ liked her in that dress.

And uh-oh, he was afraid that he was going to start drooling.

"Hell-_o?_ Zipper?" Rebecca put her hands on her hips, but Mokuba couldn't quite focus yet.

"I'll get it," Anzu said, hurrying over and trying to hide her grin. Rebecca turned around, lifting her hair up so that Anzu could reach the zipper. The dress was low in the back, and Mokuba stared at her shoulder blades, at the little freckles dotting her back, and gulped audibly.

"You okay, MK?" Rebecca asked, spinning around. Mokuba groped behind him for a chair and sat down quickly. "Uhh, yeah."

"What's-" Rebecca stopped mid-sentence and eyed him narrowly. Mokuba could do nothing but stare dizzily back, until he finally reached up and slapped his own face. That brought him back to earth.

"Stop gawking, Kaiba Mokuba," Rebecca said dangerously.

"I'm nineteen years old, what do you want from me?" he asked, spreading his hands.

"Respect," Rebecca snapped. Mokuba wisely remained silent. She stormed back into the dressing room, and he couldn't help but ask, "Does this mean you're not getting the dress?"

"Of course I'm getting the dress," Rebecca said smugly through the closed door. "I look _hot_."

* * *

"Ooh, let's stop in here," Anzu said, pointing at a toy store.

"There's a better one down the block," Mokuba said, glancing over. They'd dropped their dresses off in the car – Anzu had tried on the green dress, but settled for the purple one ("And it's cheaper," she'd pointed out, and Mokuba said "Great, just don't tell Seto"), and Mokuba had pointed out that both girls needed matching shoes, so now they were walking the few blocks over to a designer shoe shop.

"But this one supports charity," Anzu said, darting inside. Rebecca shrugged and followed her.

Once inside, Anzu stopped to look around, then headed right for the bucket of plushees on the far wall. She grabbed the first one she saw – a tan puppy – but paused, seeing a second bin marked _Duel Monster plushees_.

"I can't believe it," she giggled, pawing through the bin. "I suppose it was only a matter of time before someone decided to make stuffed Duel Monsters. I'm sure Pegasus was all too thrilled to give some company the rights."

"This is disgraceful," Rebecca said, gingerly holding up a Dark Magician by its hat.

"Come on, there has to be a Blue-Eyes White Dragon in here somewhere," Anzu said, scraping the bottom of the bucket.

"There won't be," Mokuba assured her. "Seto paid a ridiculous amount of money to Industrial Illusions to secure the patent for Blue-Eyes. He didn't want it mass marketed."

"Damn!" Anzu crossed her arms and frowned. "That figures. Well, I'm sure there's another good one in here." She continued digging through the bin until emerging, grinning, with a Saggi the Dark Clown plushee.

"That's horrifying," Rebecca said flatly.

"That is… horrifying," Mokuba agreed. It looked like the makers had tried, sort of, to make Saggi friendly and adorable, but it still looked like a demented clown. The stuffing made it even creepier.

"It reminds me so much of Seto," Anzu said with a grin, carrying her prize up to the cash register.

"750 yen, please, and would you like to donate 100 yen to charity today?" the smiling woman asked, ringing the purchase up.

"Actually, I'd like to donate one million yen, please," Anzu said politely, handing her Seto's credit card.

The woman froze. "A million…?"

"Yes," Anzu said firmly.

"I… I'm sorry, ma'am, I can't just put that through on a credit card…" the woman stammered, then looked down at the name on the card and her jaw went slack. "Er—_Kaiba_?"

"My boyfriend," Anzu said sweetly. "You can put that through, he won't mind."

"I-" now the woman looked really hesitant. "I'm sorry, but I still can't ring that up without Kaiba-san himself…"

"I'm Kaiba Mokuba," Mokuba interrupted, digging through his pocket for his ID and flashing it. "You can go ahead and put that through." Then he nudged Anzu and whispered, "His credit limit is actually two million yen, you can donate a little more and still have enough for the shoes."

"Okay, I'd actually like to donate one and a half million yen," Anzu corrected, still smiling sweetly. "Where do I sign?"


	6. Anzu's capitulation

Chapter 6: Anzu's Capitulation

* * *

Note: You knew this chapter was coming.

* * *

Seto had spent a lot of time over the past month at art museums (not a hardship) and picnicking (which was for four year old girls having tea parties with teddy bears) and hiking (which was just ridiculous, since he had a personal gym at home). He'd invested a lot of time into making Anzu feel comfortable on their dates, so he was expecting a big return this night. She better make him look good at this office party, especially in front of his potential clients.

He started to get worried when he saw Rebecca's dress. "Orange? Really?" he asked, eyeing her up and down.

Mokuba held the limo door open for her. "Mokuba likes it," Rebecca said, flouncing into the car. "He helped me pick it out."

Seto doubted that Mokuba remembered or knew what color the dress was; his little brother couldn't keep his eyes off Rebecca's body. "Remember to be classy tonight," Seto warned as the driver headed for Mazaki's apartment. He feared the worst – if Anzu showed up in hot pink, Seto would probably leave her at the curb and go single after all.

But when he rang the doorbell of her apartment, Anzu answered in an elegant deep purple ball gown, her hair pinned back neatly, wearing tasteful silver jewelry and, bless her, long evening gloves. She looked-

"Perfect," Seto said, staring at her.

"Wow," Anzu blinked. "That's definitely a new one coming from you."

Seto had prepared so many insults that he couldn't use, so all he said was "Perfect" again, staring at her.

"Well, thank you," Anzu said graciously, taking his arm. "Shall we?"

_Perfect_, he thought again as they got into the limo with Mokuba and Rebecca. Seto was so pleased that he didn't even mind when she quipped, "You know, _my_ office parties consist of having pizza after work."

"Uh-huh," he said, and put his arm around her.

* * *

Anzu didn't feel particularly guilty about abusing Seto's credit card, especially since Seto seemed far more upset by the existence of the Saggi plushee than the loss of one and a half million yen, but she had still planned to make it up to him by being a charming date for this office party. Now she was more determined than ever, because Seto seemed to like her outfit, and Anzu found to her astonishment that she actually liked making him happy (it was a strange thing to discover five weeks into a relationship, but there you go), and she _really_ liked surprising him because it happened so infrequently.

"Watanabe-san, it's a real pleasure to meet you," she said, allowing Seto's employee to kiss her gloved hand.

"The same," the elderly gentleman beamed.

She offered up her hand to be kissed at least a dozen more times within the next half-hour, always with a smile and a compliment for other women ("What a beautiful dress, such interesting jewelry, you simply must tell me where you got your purse"). In return, she got to listen to Seto's disgustingly chauvinistic employees compliment him on his excellent taste in dates. She bravely endured this (staring with envy at Mokuba and Rebecca, holding court over by the food tables), but after a while her smile became frozen and her cheeks started to hurt and she began hating the whole thing, hating the fakeness, wanting a real smile back on her face, wanting to laugh with abandon instead of politely chuckle at someone important's stupid joke. The whole evening was ridiculous; she had laughed about her office's pizza parties while in the car, but really, those office parties were _so_ much better. Seto had apparently confused "office party" with "_Gone-With-The-Wind_-style gala" and she was sick and tired of this pretentious-

"Don't crack now, you've been doing so well," he murmured in her ear.

"What?" she murmured back, still wearing a wide smile.

Seto smirked. "I can tell exactly what you're thinking. Don't worry, things always get better after they start the music, which they will soon. And you don't need to smile _all_ the time… no one will be offended if you relax a little bit."

"…Oh." She tried to relax her face muscles, and it took a few seconds, but at last she could feel the lines in her face smoothing out. She turned to look at Seto. "So you don't like these parties either?"

"Are you kidding? I have to be _nice_ to people." She started to laugh, but he was making a disgusted face and she had a feeling he was more serious than he let on. Luckily, the music picked up just then.

"Other people will ask you to dance with them," Seto said, grabbing her hand and giving it a brief squeeze. "If Ito-san asks, please be nice to him, okay?"

"I'm always nice," she reassured him.

"To everyone but me," he correctly pointed out, and she couldn't help but grin.

Anzu danced with several KaibaCorp staff and an underling from Tokyo Tech, and when she took a break for some punch, Shina joined her.

"Mazaki," she said, cold as ever, and deliberately eliminating the respectful honorific. "You've cleaned up."

Anzu lifted her chin. Shina had said that just to be bitchy, although it was true that this was probably the first time the other woman had seen her in anything other than jeans. "Thank you," she said haughtily. Then, remembering Mokuba's robot jokes, she added, "You look well. Did you oil your joints?"

Shina was prevented from an indignant reply by the arrival of Ito, Tokyo Tech's CEO. "You must be Shina," he said. "It's a pleasure to meet you in person at last, after all our e-mails and phone calls!"

"The pleasure is mine, Ito-san," she said, shaking his hand briskly. "I hope to be seeing more of you in the future, as Tokyo Tech begins a profitable partnership with KaibaCorp."

"We'll see if that works out," Ito said kindly. Then he turned to Anzu and bowed. "And you must be Kaiba Seto's date, Mazaki Anzu."

"Ito-san," Anzu acknowledged, sinking into a curtsey of her own.

"May I have the honor?" he asked, holding out his hand.

"Of course." Anzu took his arm and they swept onto the dance floor.

"You dance very well," he told her with surprise.

"So do you," Anzu said with equal delight as he spun her around.

"Ah, but I have been dancing much longer than you have, my dear," the seventy-year old told her with a mischievous grin.

Across the room, Mokuba and Rebecca left the dance floor for a breather, and an exhausted Rebecca practically dove into the punch. Seto was chatting with Tanaka, who sat on KaibaCorp's board of directors. The four of them exchanged greetings, and when Rebecca had sufficiently recovered, she went back onto the dance floor with Tanaka, allowing Mokuba and Seto to talk for the first time since arriving.

"I think the evening's going well," Seto said, and he sounded positively cheerful. "I- what's going on over there?"

Mokuba turned to look at Anzu and Ito, laughing hysterically on the other side of the room. Ito made a _go-on_ motion with his hands, and Anzu grinned, hitched up her skirts, and sank into a split.

"Oh my god, I can't watch," Seto said, turning away.

"Really? Because I'm fascinated. And kind of turned on," Mokuba said, staring. "I mean, she can bend like that!"

"I told her it was okay to relax, not to turn this dignified party into a gymnastics lesson," Seto moaned. "Okay… let me think. I can't go running over there looking like the embarrassed, overbearing boyfriend. We need to laugh this off. Mokuba, you go run interference."

"Sure, whatever," Mokuba said, shaking his head and heading off.

"What a lovely specimen you brought to this party," Shina said, coming up behind Seto, who still had his back to Anzu and Ito.

Seto almost forgot the dire situation and grinned. Shina's voice, dripping with poison, left no doubt that she absolutely loathed Anzu. Seto thought that this was actually a good thing; it proved that she was capable of emotion.

"What a spectacle!" Shina continued, shaking her head.

"Well, Ito seems to like her," Seto said, shrugging. "That'll be good for business."

"It will be," Shina said, forgetting about Anzu for a moment and getting that crazy gleam in her eye that meant she wanted to start filling out some paperwork, and pronto.

Seto sneaked a glance over his shoulder – only to find Mokuba doing an awkward, incomplete split on the ground next to Anzu. A small crowd was gathered around them, grinning and clapping. Ito tugged on his pant legs and bent his creaky knees, trying to get down himself. Seto looked away again fast.

* * *

At the end of the night, Seto was torn between killing and kissing Anzu. He still maintained on principle that it was disgraceful that she had decided to teach half the Tokyo Tech staff how to do a split (Ito's wife had been surprisingly limber and had made it the furthest into a complete split, shaming the younger employees), but Ito had been utterly captivated by Anzu, and he was talking enthusiastically about purchasing all his new computer equipment from KaibaCorp. In fact, when Shina said that she could put a contract together by Monday, he nodded and said "Send it along!" Then he thought better of it and said, "Young lady, don't you plan to work on a weekend!"

Seto had left Shina to seal the deal and he bid the rest of the guests good-bye. Finally, Ito, his wife, and Shina also left, and Seto and Mokuba piled into the limo with their dates.

"You were right," Rebecca said with a contented sigh, patting her stomach. "_Excellent _food."

"Wasn't the parfait the best?" Mokuba asked, stretching.

"The cheesecake was better," Rebecca said, just to be contrary.

As the younger ones launched into a vigorous discussion-bordering-on-argument about the desserts, Anzu and Seto carefully avoided looking at each other. Anzu was aware that she had ventured into dangerous territory, and Seto was still debating the killing-versus-kissing thing. Finally, Anzu opened her mouth to speak, and Seto was _sure_ that an apology was forthcoming.

"Why didn't _you_ try to do a split? Ito was wondering."

Anzu had timed her question perfectly so that the car slid to a stop in front of her apartment just as an enraged Seto turned to her with his mouth wide open.

"_You_," he began, and Anzu threw open the door and scrambled out. "Bye, thanks for a lovely evening, call me!" she said hurriedly before slamming the door and scampering up the stairs and out of sight.

Seto expelled the enormous breath he had drawn and fell against the seat cushions as the car moved forward again.

"Hey, I'm pretty sure she got you the deal," Rebecca said quickly.

"That infuriating-!" Seto growled, but was apparently unable to finish his sentence through his fury.

"She got you the deal!" Rebecca reminded him.

"Ugh!" Seto threw himself against the seat cushions again and squeezed his eyes shut. "She has been driving me crazy since day one."

"She's not that bad," Mokuba ventured cautiously.

Seto opened his eyes and glared. "Tell me one good thing about her!"

"She got you the deal," Rebecca repeated, her voice now tinged with exasperation.

"A different good thing!" Seto growled.

"You saw for yourself," Mokuba said, unable to cover up his grin. "She's _really_ flexible."

"Kaiba Mokuba!" Rebecca snapped.

"Fourteen years of dance lessons," Mokuba continued, ignoring Rebecca. "If she can spread her legs so far apart that her bottom touches the floor, think of what she could do on top of you."

Rebecca smacked him, hard, with her purse. "Stop the car, I want to get out," she said furiously. "I'll walk."

"All the times Seto has threatened to kick you out of the car, and _now_ you want to walk?" Mokuba said reasonably, trying to defend himself from the onslaught of her purse. "_Ow!_ Plus those are very impractical heels."

Seto didn't say a word for the rest of the car ride or, so far as Mokuba knew, the rest of the night.

* * *

Seto congratulated himself on being so mature and composed that he was able to sit through lunch with Anzu that weekend without killing her. (She was back to wearing T-shirts again, which made his task harder.)

In fact, he had become so good at ignoring her obnoxiousness that the next month flew by. _She's definitely falling for me_, Seto thought as they snuggled on the couch while watching old movies. _I've got this under control_, he told himself as they cooked dinner together and she teasingly fed him bits of chicken. _Won't be long before she says she loves me_, he thought as he taught Anzu how to sail. _I'm going to win this deal_, he knew, while Anzu showed him how to go snorkeling. Slightly to his surprise, he loved snorkeling; he liked being alone in the great quiet, moving slowly through the blue ocean, watching fish and other aquatic life meander beneath him. He was in such a good mood that he didn't even mind when Anzu silently dove, then snuck up from underneath him and tickled his stomach. Instead he laughed, and grabbed her and brought her to the surface, and then they continued exploring while holding hands.

It was only later, after Anzu was safely gone, that Seto reminded himself how annoying she was. Luckily, she did other annoying things, like laugh too much, and talk about Yuugi, and drag him to the zoo to see adorable animals, so he could keep things in perspective.

_This is just for Mokuba_, he reminded himself, although it wasn't really anymore. Now it was a personal mission of his – he'd boasted that he could get Anzu to fall for him, after all, and he wanted to prove himself right. When Kaiba Seto set a goal, he reached it. Period.

After two months, he was fairly sure that Anzu had indeed fallen for him. She certainly felt comfortable around him… comfortable enough to invite some of her goofy friends over to _his_ mansion. With Mokuba and Rebecca backing her up, Seto'd had no choice but to acquiesce, and promptly glued himself to the barbecue to avoid real conversation.

"Aah, Seto, I think we have enough food," Anzu said dubiously, glancing at the heaping platter of chicken.

"Um…" Seto looked around the yard. Damn; they were still here. "I'll just cook a few more pieces. The mutt is here, after all," he pointed out.

Anzu rolled her eyes but walked away.

The odd thing was, the barbecue wasn't as terrible as it could have been. Ryuji Otogi was there, and even if Seto didn't _like _him, the two had a lot in common and passed some time talking about business. A little red-headed girl asked him about KaibaCamp, which was all planned out and accepting pre-registration for a winter session and already wildly popular, and Seto passed a few happy minutes bragging to her until he realized that she was related to the mutt. The mutt, however, was on astonishingly good behavior and even approached Seto for a few minutes of cordial conversation before they both fled to opposite sides of the yard, feeling a little off-balance and slightly nauseous.

The reason it didn't seem terrible, Seto realized after the party, was because Anzu had brainwashed him. She had chattered at him with that disgusting bubbly energy unceasingly for the last few weeks and she was finally starting to melt his brain. Pretty soon he'd be having friendly duels and telling jokes with the rest of her pathetic crowd. He needed to get out of this farce of a relationship, and fast.

* * *

"Red or white?" Seto asked a few days later, following another snorkeling expedition. Mokuba and Rebecca were out somewhere, so for now, Seto and Anzu had the mansion to themselves.

Anzu pondered for a moment. "Red, please."

"Okay. I have a vintage Bordeaux chilling in the refrigerator. I'll be right back." Seto headed into the kitchen to fetch the wine, and when he came back out carefully balancing two glasses, Anzu was curled up on the couch, staring out the window at the sunset.

"Here you go. So… I've been meaning to ask. What's going on with Jounouchi?" he asked, handing her a glass and taking a seat next to her.

"Thanks," she said, accepting the glass. "What about Jounouchi?"

"He hasn't been his normal idiotic self," Seto said with a grimace. Ever since the barbecue, the mutt had been acting oddly.

"Oh, you mean why is he being nice to you?" Anzu sipped the wine. "Mmm, I like it. Fruity."

"If you call that nice," Seto frowned. "It's more like… pained."

Anzu laughed. "Well, he is indeed trying to be nice to you. I had a talk with him."

Seto stared at her suspiciously. "Oh? And how on earth did you convince him to be 'nice' to me?"

Anzu tried to look innocent, and Seto was actually distracted for a moment. She looked young and sweet, sinking deep into the soft couch cushions, her legs tucked beneath her and her skirt spread out across the couch. Her hair, still damp from snorkeling, was falling out of its loose updo. Then Anzu giggled, and it ruined the moment. _I hate that stupid laugh_.

"Well…" she took another sip of wine and placed the glass on a nearby table, turning to face Seto with a twinkle in her eye. "I told him you cried."

Seto nodded twice before her words caught up to him. "You _what?_"

Anzu beamed, as if Seto had praised her for being a genius. "Yeah, I told him that you and I had a fight, and I wanted to stop seeing you, but you told me that you couldn't bear to lose me and you shed some tears. Jounouchi can be surprisingly sentimental, you know. He said that you finally sounded like a real human being and that he'd try to be nice to you for my sake."

_Did Mokuba and I discuss what would happen to our deal if I strangled her?_ Seto wondered briefly, but he reluctantly discarded the thought. _I can't strangle her. That would look terrible in the tabloids._ One thing was for sure, however; he couldn't put up with her any longer. This stunt was the cherry on the Anzu-is-infuriating sundae.

_I can still win this deal,_ he thought determinedly. _I can do it right now. Soften her up, get her to say she loves me, and then kick her out of my life forever._

He put his wine down. Anzu, who had reached for hers again, froze. She was still wearing that satisfied smile, but her eyes grew wary.

"You think you're so smart," he said, but in a low voice filled with mirth that he didn't actually feel. He reached for her, and for a moment contemplated strangling her after all – it was a quicker fix – but his fingers brushed against her shoulders and he pulled Anzu close.

Her eyelids fluttered closed, and he kissed her again. It was as mind-blowingly fantastic as before, which annoyed him greatly; he kept hoping that the past times were just flukes.

Every once in a while, Anzu would play stubborn and keep her lips tightly pressed together, and he would have to coax them open. When Seto wasn't drunk with lust, he would tell himself it was an irritating trait, but the truth was that it turned him on. He did love a challenge, after all. Anzu was being especially stubborn tonight, and he coaxed and licked and kissed her. When she still refused to part her lips, Seto left her mouth and trailed kisses down her neck, letting his fingers dance over her arms and then trail down to her stomach. He decisively slid his palm under her shirt and up her stomach, brushing it over the curve of her breast. Anzu gasped, and her hands clutched at Seto's back. He pressed more hot kisses into her neck, then just below her ear, then returned to her mouth. This time she let him slip his tongue inside, and he leaned forward until he was pressing her into the couch cushions. One hand remained on the side of her breast, and he stroked his thumb across her bra; the other hand slipped down to her thigh, where he pleasantly rediscovered that she was wearing a skirt.

Anzu, who had been raking her hands up and down Seto's back, trembled when he swept his hand up her bare thigh and settled it hotly onto her hip. She squirmed around until she brought her legs from underneath her and lay down fully on the couch; Seto also brought his legs onto the couch and lay on top of her. He started moving his hand again, rubbing it up and down her thigh, massaging her hip, and starting to sneak around towards her inner thigh.

They were no stranger to each other's bodies; they'd even gotten each other off before, when a heavy kissing session turned into heavy grinding, on this very same couch. But tonight was different. Anzu swallowed. Tonight would be different… because she'd made up her mind.

Seto had made up his mind too. "B-bedroom?" he asked in a choked voice. _Choked voice, good, because I'm acting, acting, have to act turned on-_ he thought hazily.

Anzu nodded.

He wasn't quite sure how they made it up the stairs – and in fact, they almost didn't, because Anzu went first, and Seto was staring at her legs, and he finally reached out to touch one of them, and they paused for a few not unpleasant moments on the staircase. Then somehow they made it into the bedroom, shut the door behind them, and stumbled over to the bed.

Seto's plans of seduction were gladly put on hold for a few more minutes, because Anzu climbed on top of him at first, ripping his shirt off and kissing and touching every exposed inch of skin. Only when she slid her palm across his straining trousers did he decide to take control of the situation again, flipping her over and attacking her neck again. Once again, he moved one hand beneath her shirt – after a moment's hesitation, he wormed his hand to the small of her back and unclasped her bra, then stroked his hand up under her bra, causing Anzu to gasp and wriggle underneath him, sliding with delicious friction against him. For an instant, Seto considered scrapping his plan entirely and just having his way with her tonight – then reluctantly discarded the idea. He did have the barest vestiges of morals, after all.

He squeezed her breast with one hand, slid his other hand along the inside of her thigh and pressed hard against her panties (Anzu cried out), pressed a firm kiss to her collarbone, moved his hand to her hip, and thrust against her two times before stopping with a superhuman effort. He drew away slightly, removed his hands from her flesh (with more effort), and placed them on the bed, hovering over her, while she looked up at him through clouded eyes.

"I – we shouldn't," he said, panting heavily. "I don't want to – if you don't feel the same-" he paused for a deep gulp of air. "If you don't care for me, I don't think we should…" he let his voice trail off.

Anzu's eyes cleared, then blazed, with that firey energy he associated with her. "I _do_," she said, flinging her arms around his neck and arching her body up to rub against him again. For the second time that night, Seto's willpower nearly broke – and probably would have, if Anzu hadn't continued talking.

"I _do_ want this, I _do_ care about you…" she paused. "I love you."

That was it, then. Seto closed his eyes, took three more big gulps of air, then rolled off her.

"Thanks very much," he said coldly, rummaging around the room for his shirt. He found it and pulled it on. "That was all I needed. You see, Mokuba and I had a deal going on." He found that he couldn't quite meet her eyes so he kept his back to her, though the room was dark. He could tell that she'd sat up in bed, but she didn't say a word. "Now that you've said that you love me, I've won the deal, so I no longer have need of you."

He paused. Her silence was disconcerting. "I'll leave your purse by the back door. I assume you can show yourself out?"

Still nothing.

So, he left.


	7. Mokuba, the mastermind

Chapter 7: Mokuba, the Mastermind

* * *

Note: I can't tell you all how much I appreciate and love getting your feedback. I think most of you will enjoy this chapter. If people's motives confuse you, there's a little more clarification in the future, but let me know if you have any questions so I can be sure to address them!

* * *

"Oh my god, it's that blonde chick from a while ago. She's staring at you," Rebecca said, dropping her fork with a clatter.

Mokuba looked up, unconcerned – and it wasn't an unusual occurrence that he was getting stared at, anyway – and saw a familiar face batting her eyelashes at him from across the restaurant.

"Oh. Cindy," he said, taking another bite of his pasta.

Rebecca laughed. "Right." Then she paused. "Wait, are you calling her Cindy because you think it's funny, or because you really forgot that her name was Susan?"

"Huh?" Mokuba asked with his mouth full.

"Never mind." Rebecca picked up her fork again and stabbed her own pasta. "I should be with Yuugi right now," she muttered. "So did you ever call her back?"

"Who?" Mokuba asked, chewing with effort.

"Susan. Cindy. Whatever. Did you call her back after you so rudely kicked her out?"

"_You_ kicked her out," Mokuba reminded her.

"Well, I was protecting you from your own poor judgment," Rebecca defended.

"No, I didn't call her," Mokuba frowned.

"That was pretty thoughtless," she said, stabbing another piece of pasta.

"Why would I call her back if it was such poor judgment hooking up with her in the first place?" Mokuba asked, staring at her. Usually Rebecca was the pinnacle of logic, so this was pretty weird of her.

"Well, I don't know. I just think it's mean that you keep using these women and then dropping them," Rebecca said, refusing to meet his eyes. "Susan might be brainless, but she has feelings. Probably."

"Fine. I'll go over and apologize," Mokuba said, half-rising. Rebecca's hand immediately shot out and grabbed his shirt sleeve. "No, no, never mind. Forget I said anything."

"You called me rude, thoughtless, and mean," Mokuba said, sitting back down but giving her a funny look. "So I said I would apologize, and now you don't want me to?"

"We established that I was the rude one, actually," Rebecca said, still not meeting his eyes. "Anyway, she doesn't want an apology from you. _I_ wouldn't want a fake apology, especially if it came through lips that had sucked on another dozen girls since me."

Mokuba grabbed the edge of the table, seeing red. Rebecca had never been particularly subtle, but this unexpected attack was just downright vicious. "Wow, Becky," he said through clenched teeth. "How wonderfully presumptive and judgmental you are."

She finally met his eyes, and he saw that she looked alarmed and upset, which took a little bit of the edge off his anger. "Oh, gosh, I'm sorry," she said, once more dropping her fork with a clatter. "That was really bitchy of me, wasn't it? Never mind, stupid question, it _was_ really bitchy of me. I'm really sorry, Mokuba… I've been stressed lately… I know that's not an excuse." She winced. "You know how your hookups have always bothered me, but you're right and it's none of my business, and I'm going to try never to make a snide remark about it again. I'll _try_," she added, aware that she was very likely to slip up.

Mokuba took a deep breath, ready to respond angrily, when his phone went off. He let out the breath again and looked at the screen. Anzu was calling. _Wonder what she wants_, he thought, but put the phone away. She could leave him a message; right now he needed to deal with Rebecca. He'd lost his train of thought, however, and in the end just said "Whatever," and took another big bite of pasta.

"Do you forgive me?" Rebecca pressed. He looked up – _now_ he was going to snap at her – and noticed with astonishment that her blue-green eyes were filling with tears.

"Let's just not talk about it," he said quickly, and then a moment later, in direct conflict with his previous statement, said, "You know I haven't hooked up with anyone since Cindy, right?"

"Wh-what?" Rebecca blinked.

Mokuba rolled his eyes. "Honestly, Becky, how _could_ I? I've been with you pretty much every waking moment."

Her mouth fell open. "You – really haven't been fooling around with other girls?"

"No," he said again patiently.

She fell silent, clearly rearranging her life view in her mind. Mokuba sighed. When she finally spoke, it wasn't what he'd hoped she would say. "I really have been with you every waking moment," she said, frowning at him. "We have all the same classes… we're working on the project for the Game Shop… and making sure that your brother doesn't blow things with Anzu… and look! We're having dinner right now!"

"Very good, Becky," Mokuba said, rolling his eyes again.

"Why am I with you right now?" she demanded. "We're not working on the project and Seto isn't here. So why are we together?"

"Well, you said to me, 'I want Italian food tonight, something with a lot of carbs,' so I said 'how about Antonio's,' and you said 'that sounds good'. Now here we are," Mokuba recounted.

"This was my first free night in two months!" Rebecca exclaimed, standing up. "And I'm not spending it with Yuugi!"

"Forget about Yuugi," Mokuba scowled. He hadn't meant to say that, but it had slipped out.

"I'm going to the Game Shop," Rebecca said, tugging on her jacket haphazardly and scooping up her purse. "I'll catch you later, MK."

"You're going to stick me with the bill?" Mokuba demanded, clutching at excuses to keep her here, with him, where she belonged.

"You're rich, you can afford it," she said, disappearing.

Mokuba slumped back in his seat. Dinner didn't look so good anymore. He speared some pasta, brought it to his lips, and then set it back down on the plate. He craned around, looking for his waiter, but didn't see him. _Whatever_. He reached into his pocket and pulled out some bills; dinner couldn't have been more than 4000 yen, so he would just leave the money and run-

"Kaiba Mokuba," a sweet voice purred in his ear. He turned around to see Cindy (_wait, was that her name?)_ behind him, one manicured hand on the back of his chair, leaning over to display her cleavage to the best advantage. "You're not eating alone, are you?" she batted her lashes. "I saw that bitchy PR girl of yours run out just now-"

"What?" Mokuba frowned, before remembering Rebecca's lie from two months ago.

"-and I thought you could use some company?" She smiled invitingly at him.

Mokuba sighed. Once, he'd been able to keep his feelings for Rebecca at bay by indulging his physical desires with other women _(who only coincidentally looked like her_, he told himself). Now, it didn't appear that even that old medication would work. Just as the pasta no longer seemed appetizing, Cindy no longer whetted his appetite.

"Actually, I'm on my way out," he told her, throwing the bills on the table and leaving in a hurry.

* * *

Mokuba stomped home to find Seto standing in the living room, arms crossed and smiling smugly.

"Save it, Seto, I'm in a bad mood," Mokuba said, starting for the stairs, noting absently that the door that led to the bedroom suite was firmly closed. He'd really thought that he was getting Rebecca to forget about Yuugi...

"Sorry, Mokuba, but that bad mood's about to get worse, because you just lost our little deal," Seto said unfeelingly.

Mokuba froze with one foot planted on the staircase. "Huh?"

"Anzu told me that she loved me," Seto said, still smug. "So I've won our deal, and soon you'll have to pay up and confess your love for Hopkins. By the way, Anzu and I are over," he added casually.

Mokuba barely processed this last. His head was swimming. _Whaaa-?_ Something had clearly gone wrong.

* * *

**TWO MONTHS EARLIER:**

Standing in the kitchen, Mokuba laid out the terms of the deal. "So if you get Anzu to fall in love with you – and to actually say it – I'll tell Rebecca how I feel about her."

"It's a deal." Seto reached across the counter to shake his hand, and after a moment, Mokuba accepted.

After he got rid of the underwear under the couch, Mokuba headed for the privacy of his room. He lay down on his bed thoughtfully, churning things over in his mind. After half an hour of this he rolled over and grabbed the phone, dialing decisively.

"Hello?" Anzu greeted.

"Hi, Anzu. It's Kaiba Mokuba."

"Oh, hey there," Anzu said, sounding friendly and a little surprised to be hearing from him.

"Look, I've got into a bit of a mess, and I was wondering if you'd be able to help me out…"

Anzu listened carefully to Mokuba's story and couldn't help laughing by the end. "You and Rebecca got Seto to agree to seduce me to get me away from Yuugi so that Rebecca could have him? And then Seto made a deal with you that if I fell in love with him, you would have to tell Rebecca how you felt about her?"

"Pretty much," Mokuba said, not minding that she laughed again. It was a pretty ridiculous situation.

"Well, thanks for the heads-up," she said, and he could tell that she was shaking her head at the other end of the line. "So how am I supposed to help you out? Avoid your older brother's suave advances so that you don't lose the deal?"

"Actually…" Mokuba said hesitantly. "I was thinking something a little more involved. Could I come talk to you about this? Maybe with Yuugi there?"

Two hours later, the three of them met in the back room of the Kame Game Shop. Yuugi looked even more amused than Anzu, but the first thing he said was, "Mokuba, I'm really not interested in Rebecca as anything more than a friend, I promise."

"That's good to know," Mokuba acknowledged, "and I sort of figured that out."

"So Seto will be coming for me, will he?" Anzu asked Mokuba, her eyes sparkling with mirth.

Mokuba laughed. "I think you underestimate my big brother," he told her. "He can act like a jerk, I admit it, but when he _wants_ to he can lay on the charm."

"Will I be able to resist him?" Anzu asked dryly.

"Well, that's my plan, if you're game," Mokuba told her. "I want you to play along. Let him take you on dates and try to flirt with you, but keep your distance. Make lots of trouble. Because if I know Rebecca Hopkins – and I do – she'll want to micromanage everything, since she does think this is her plan. So if she's trying to micromanage your disastrous relationship with Seto, she and I will get to spend a lot of time together."

Anzu raised her eyebrows. "Surely there are better ways of spending time with Rebecca," she said skeptically.

Mokuba grinned. "But can you think of a more entertaining one?" Anzu laughed, and he continued, "Although now that you mention it, I do have other reasons. I want to teach the both of them a lesson about meddling in people's lives… mostly Rebecca," he added honestly. "I don't think either of them has thought enough about the repercussions of manipulating people's emotions." This argument apparently made sense to Anzu and Yuugi, because they were nodding.

"So this would be like a practical joke on them," Anzu said slowly. "A harmless way of giving them what they deserve. I don't know that I fully agree with that, but I understand the sentiment."

"It sounds like something Jounouchi would do," Yuugi said with a sigh.

"Also..." Mokuba said hesitantly. "I think it might be good for my big brother." _I think _you_ might be good for my big brother… I really think you two might make a good couple_, he thought, but didn't voice it. "He's been dating some real witches, and if he doesn't learn to date someone nice and normal, I might run away to Siberia. _Someone_ has to loosen him up before he and I both go crazy, and I think you'd be good at it."

"By making trouble?" Anzu asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Yes," Mokuba clarified, and she thought about it and shrugged and nodded again.

"So you'll do it?" Mokuba asked eagerly, leaning forward.

"I didn't say that," Anzu said sharply.

At this point, any other girl would have asked "What's in it for me," but Anzu just looked pensive. Mokuba decided to help her along anyway.

"Look at it this way," he said coaxingly. "Seto will take you out to really nice parties and fancy restaurants and get you lots of stuff… he'll be trying his best to make you fall in love with him so he'll do anything you want." Realizing that Anzu wasn't as shallow as Seto's other girlfriends, so Mokuba changed tactics. "You'll have a really nice time while helping a lot of people. You'll help Rebecca see that I'm the right guy for her… you'll help me get the woman I lo-" at the last minute he chickened out and said "the woman I care about, and you'll help Seto realize that he doesn't have to date mean robot women." Yuugi laughed at this last part.

Mokuba looked over at Yuugi. "How do you feel about this?" he asked him. Mokuba was pretty sure that his instincts about Yuugi were right again, but he asked anyway, "This plan wouldn't interfere with anything between you guys, would it?"

"No," Yuugi and Anzu both said immediately. They looked at each other and smiled. "No," Yuugi clarified. In fact, he and Anzu had just gotten their friendship back to the way it used to be. After Atemu had left, it was awkward for several years while they tried to figure out who had a crush on who, and they had only just decided that neither of them really wanted to be with the other.

"Tell her to do it," Mokuba urged Yuugi.

Yuugi tilted his head to the side and smiled at Anzu. "Actually, I think you should do it."

"It would be kind of nice to teach Kaiba Seto a lesson about human decency," she said somewhat dreamily. "Okay, Mokuba, I'll do it."

* * *

**ONE HOUR BEFORE PRESENT:**

Anzu wasn't looking forward to this conversation with Mokuba, but she lucked out, and her phone call went to his voicemail. Taking a deep breath, she left a message that she knew he wasn't going to like.

"Sorry, Mokuba, but your brother was driving me crazy so I needed to end things with him. But here's the thing, I've been watching you moping around about Rebecca for long enough, and I really think you need to just tell her your real feelings, no more messing around. So I decided to tell your brother I loved him so that he would dump me and you would lose the deal. He's gone now, and you have to tell Rebecca that you love her. I really think this will work out for you." She inhaled. "Sorry." Then she hung up, threw her phone in her purse, and left the Kaiba mansion, hopefully forever.

* * *

**PRESENT TIME:**

"Did you hear me, Mokuba?" Seto asked, now starting to get concerned. "I said that Anzu said she loved me."

"Uhh…" Mokuba's hand flew to his phone, with the one missed call and one message. "I've got to check my voicemail," he said, flying up the staircase.


	8. Settling the deal

Chapter 8: Settling the Deal

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Note: I'm super sorry for the delay in posting this chapter, I've been without internet for the past two weeks. Only one more chapter (probably)!

* * *

Mokuba stomped back down the staircase after listening to Anzu's message. His depression had turned into anger; he was frustrated with the whole world. He was mad at Rebecca for being so obtuse and wanting Yuugi when he, Mokuba, was _clearly_ the one she enjoyed spending endless time with; he was mad at Yuugi for existing; he was mad at Anzu for screwing him over on _their_ deal; he was mad at Seto for making the original deal and for obviously messing things up with Anzu. More than that, he was furious with himself for arranging this whole mess. Luckily, there was one person around on whom he could take out some of his anger.

He tracked his older brother into the kitchen, where Seto had opened up the refrigerator and was staring at the chocolate cake.

"Way to go," Mokuba began, but Seto was ready for him.

"Remember that this was all _your_ idea," he said, slamming the fridge and whirling around.

"At what point did I tell you that I wanted you to break Anzu's heart?" Mokuba demanded. "When did I imply that I would be happy if you got all hot and heavy with her, then dumped her and walked away?"

"What are you suggesting?" Seto asked, his eyes narrowed.

"Don't play dumb," Mokuba shot back. "You reek of sexual frustration, it's pretty obvious what happened tonight."

"What happened tonight is exactly what I have been telling you would happen ever since I agreed to this stupid deal in the first place," Seto said icily. "You knew exactly what I intended. You egged me on!"

_I knew what you intended… that's why I warned Anzu,_ Mokuba thought._ Of course, I always hoped that you would really fall for her… and I always believed that you would be a better person than someone who would callously dump her like that. Even it if WAS Anzu's plan._

But he wasn't going to tell Seto that. Telling him would be Anzu's choice – and perhaps one of her remaining weapons.

"You should have been better than that," Mokuba said aloud. "You know what I think? I think you're a _jerk_, big brother." Seto's eyes bulged, he looked at once hurt and angry and guilty, and he opened his mouth to argue, but Mokuba beat him to it. "Don't worry, Kaiba Mokuba is no hypocrite," he shot over his shoulder as he stalked out of the kitchen. "I think I'm a jerk too."

* * *

_All right. This is it. Get yourself psyched, Hopkins._

Rebecca shook her head a few times, trying to clear it. Her heart was pounding – this was the moment she'd been preparing for. She was finally going to ask Yuugi out. He was working alone in the Game Shop right now; the setting was perfect, the timing was perfect, she'd been planning this for years, so she was just going to march in – and do it.

"Hey Yuugi," she said, entering the Game Shop. She tilted her head to the side and smiled charmingly.

"Oh, hi, Rebecca!" he said, glancing up and beaming. "Let me finish ringing these customers up, and I'll be right with you."

"Sure," she nodded, wandering off to look at the newest cards while Yuugi checked out a couple with two adorable, excited boys. "Thank you for buying us cards, mommy and daddy!" the elder one chanted, jumping up and down. The younger one stood silently by his mother's leg and stared with wide, worshipping eyes at Yuugi. He tugged on his mother's sleeve and whispered something to her.

She chuckled, glancing at Yuugi. "He wants to know if you're the one he sees on television all the time."

"Aw," Yuugi laughed, looking a little embarrassed. He grinned at the child. "Yeah, that's me." He stuck out his hand. "What's your name?"

The young boy cowered in awe. The older boy jumped in. "He's Akemi, and I'm Botan!" He grabbed Yuugi's hand and pumped it vigorously. "Can I have your autograph?"

Yuugi looked even more embarrassed, but he signed a piece of paper for the boys, chatting with them and finally coaxing Akemi into a handshake. Akemi stared at his hand in amazement, holding it in front of his face the whole time his grateful parents ushered him and his brother out the door.

"That was so cute," Rebecca laughed as they left.

Yuugi's face was still pink. "Yeah, those boys were adorable."

"Do you get that a lot? The fans worshipping you?"

"Kind of," Yuugi admitted. "It's hard to get used to."

Rebecca smiled at him again. Modest, successful, sweet, and sooo cute… gosh, was Yuugi perfect.

"Come around the counter," he said with a grin, gesturing her over. She willingly came around. He indicated a seat, but she ignored it, leaning on the counter right in front of him.

"So what brings you by?" Yuugi asked. The night was warm, and he had shed his jacket and it lay over the back of the nearby seat. He stood before her in a black sleeveless top that showed off his muscular arms and black jeans that hugged his thighs; his hair was spiked as always but soft blonde bangs fell in front of flashing violet eyes. Rebecca swallowed. Yuugi was certainly 'cute' most of the time, but he could also be undeniably sexy.

"Actually," she said, taking a step forward so he was within touching distance. "I was wondering if you wanted to have dinner sometime?"

And… nothing. She'd expected to have huge, swooping butterflies as she waited breathlessly for his response. After all, she'd been waiting for his answer for years. But instead, she felt… nothing. She'd asked the question she told herself she would ask, mission accomplished, she was done and could go home now.

Yuugi grinned and shifted backwards ever so slightly. "You mean with our grandfathers? Like a family thing?"

Rebecca blinked. Her brain – usually so reliably efficient – was processing things sluggishly at the moment. Slowly, she smiled. This was good. This was right.

"Yeah, with our grandfathers," she nodded, relaxing. "The Mutous and the Hopkins haven't had a nice night in together in a while."

"That sounds like a great idea," Yuugi said. "Grandpa or I will call you to plan something, okay?"

"Okay," she said, and because she liked the plan so much, she repeated "Okay." She took in a deep breath and stepped back, smiling hugely at Yuugi. "Talk to you later!"

"Talk to you later, Rebecca," he called as she stepped outside and into the fresh night air.

* * *

_I think you're a JERK, big brother_.

Seto shook his head and tried to concentrate on his computer. There was a tentative knock on his office door, and he snarled, "Go away!"

His new secretary went away. Clearly he had heard the rumors of what happened to Seto's old secretary, who insisted on coming inside to find out what was wrong.

_I think you're a JERK_.

Mokuba's voice kept replaying in his head, and there was Anzu's voice playing too.

_What do you have at the end of the day?_

_You're a JERK_.

"I'm a jerk," he said miserably.

Okay, okay, that was nothing new. He'd been a jerk since the ripe old age of ten, when he was adopted by Gozaburo and had to become a jerk in order to protect himself and Mokuba. He hadn't made it to becoming CEO of his own powerful company by being a nice guy. He regularly insulted and humiliated employees, rival businessmen, Mutou Yuugi and his stupid group, and inferior duelists. He was a jerk, everyone knew he was a jerk, and a jerk had no business dating a nice girl like Mazaki Anzu, so really everything had worked out for the best. Maybe he'd even done her a favor; _someone_ had to shatter her naïve illusion that the world was nice. She'd be tougher now. And she'd get over him fast. Who wouldn't get over a jerk?

_What do you have at the end of the day?_

He was a jerk. And in treating Anzu the way he had, he'd reached a new low.

_I assume you can show yourself out?_

His stomach gurgled. He felt sick. He hadn't eaten anything yet today, just gone through half a dozen cups of coffee.

_I've won the deal, so I no longer have need of you._

Had he eaten yesterday? He couldn't remember. All that coffee was sloshing around in his stomach now. Drinking so much on an empty stomach was probably a poor choice for his digestive system.

He was a businessman. He made deals, and then followed through with them. That's what he did. He couldn't just quit if he thought feelings might be hurt.

_What do you have at the end of the day?_

_I assume you can show yourself out?_

His stomach rebelled. Seto grabbed frantically for the waste basket just as his stomach clenched, then expelled all the coffee he'd had that morning. He hung over the waste basket as his stomach continued to churn.

"It's better this way," he whispered. It was better for Anzu to stay away from him. She deserved better. At the end of the day, they should both get what they deserved.

* * *

"Thank god that class is over," Rebecca said, climbing into Mokuba's car after their day at the university was done. "Usually I like Econometric Methods, but today dragged on."

"How could two hours of linear regression possibly bore you?" Mokuba asked, but his heart wasn't in it. On the contrary, his heart was pounding so hard it actually hurt as it thudded his ears.

After a few moments, Rebecca looked over at him. "Umm… are you going to start the car?"

"Right," Mokuba said dully, reaching for the ignition. The car roared to life, and a second later he shut the engine off again. "Actually, Rebecca, can I talk to you for a second?"

"Okay…" she said slowly. No nickname? This could be serious.

Mokuba swallowed. It was all his own fault for getting into this stupid situation, he should have known better than to mess with people's emotions (especially his dumb brother's), but he had indeed made a deal with Seto, and his dumb brother would expect him to follow through. Mokuba was honor bound now; he couldn't break a deal with Seto.

"Well…" he sighed. "After you first suggested to Seto that he date Anzu, he and I made a side deal. If Anzu said that she loved him, I would have to…" his voice cracked, but he coughed and continued determinedly on. "I would have to tell you how I felt about you."

He couldn't look at her, so he stared down at the steering wheel. His hands clenched more tightly around the wheel with every second of silence in the still car. Finally, Mokuba couldn't stand it anymore, and quickly glanced over. What he saw made his heart flip over: Rebecca was crying.

"Wh-" he started, but she finally spoke up.

"Go ahead then," she said fiercely. "Tell me how you really feel about me, Kaiba Mokuba!" She hiccupped, and the bravado in her voice left. "Do you think I'm a prude?"

"What?" Mokuba exclaimed.

"Do you think I'm a prude for nagging at you every time you date a new girl?" she asked, wiping at her face but not doing much more than streaking the tears across it. "Do you think it's obnoxious that I'm always judging you, like I'm some kind of saint?" She sniffled. "Do you think it's pathetic that I haven't had a serious boyfriend and that I've spent years chasing after Yuugi? Do I turn you off?"

Mokuba knew that this was the time to step in and say something, but his brain was still frozen and all he could repeat was "What?"

"I must completely turn you off," Rebecca said, crying harder now. "Why else would you hit on all these _other_ women and never me? I'm not that ugly, I look just like them, so it must be my personality and you can't stand that I'm so uptight, and-"

"Becky," Mokuba finally broke in, grabbing her by the shoulders to stop her. His brain was still lagging behind so he let the words pour from his mouth, hoping that they'd be the right ones. "I don't know where you got these crazy ideas, but you're wrong, that's not what I think of you at all. I think you're a smart woman with good moral standards, and when I made that deal with Seto, it was because I _like _you, I like you a lot, and Seto wanted me to confess. I've been so dumb hooking up with other women, I just did it because I was avoiding my feelings for you, which is a _stupid_ excuse, and I've been really stupid. I know I should have told you ages ago but I was terrified that you'd reject me and I couldn't stand having anything happen to our friendship, because I care about you so much, and I want to be with you forever."

Rebecca stared at him, her tears rapidly drying, her mouth slightly open. Mokuba stared back.

"Um… can you say that again?" Rebecca managed.

Mokuba paused. "Which part?"

"All of it." Now a tiny grin crept onto her face, and Mokuba could feel himself beaming back.

"I don't remember it," he said, reaching over and taking her hand in his. "All I know is that I love you." He paused again. "A lot."

"That's really good to hear," Rebecca said softly. "Ah, you should know that I asked Yuugi out."

"What?" Mokuba exclaimed. His grip on her hand involuntarily tightened. Yuugi knew exactly how Mokuba felt, and if that scrawny little dweeb had gone behind his back, Mokuba would find him and eviscerate him…

"You look just like your brother when you're angry," Rebecca giggled. "Look, MK, Yuugi said no. Well, he didn't _say_ it, but he meant it." She drew in a deep breath. "And I was fine with it. I was even relieved. That was when I knew I'd been chasing the wrong guy for years…"

Mokuba exhaled. "I wondered how long it would take you to figure that out. It took you a long time," he added with a smirk.

"You didn't exactly make it easy," Rebecca said pointedly.

"I screwed up," he said softly.

"No, it's okay." She squeezed his hand. "I wouldn't have been ready any time sooner, you know?"

"Are you ready now?" He released her hand and cupped her face, looking at her blue-green eyes through her glasses. "Will you be my girlfriend?"

"Yeah," she breathed, looking up at him. "Will you kiss me?"

Mokuba knew that he'd never be able to deny her anything again.

* * *

Seto brushed his teeth in his office bathroom, staring into the mirror. He looked haggard and old.

He spat, and grimaced. He could still taste his own vomit; it lingered at the back of his throat.

For a moment, his thoughts wandered. After a bad day like this, all he wanted to do was call up Anzu; she'd come over and they'd snuggle on the couch and he would complain and she would laugh and distract him. And then they'd make plans for that weekend and spend a glorious Saturday in the country somewhere, away from all the stress of his daily life, just him and Anzu and her smile and her sunshine…

_Stop it_, he told himself fiercely. Those days were just a farce, and they were over. His stomach churned again, and now he was breaking out into a full-body sweat. He wiped his forehead off.

It was time to admit something to himself. Being a jerk – even a jerk who'd reached a new low – didn't bother him. It was _who_ he'd been a jerk to that was the problem. He'd treated Anzu so badly that he'd probably pushed her away forever, and it was the worst mistake of a life that was filled with so many mistakes.


	9. Seto's bad mood

Chapter 9: Seto's Bad Mood

* * *

Note: Well, I lied, there will be one more chapter after this. I did intend to just make it one super long chapter but it's taking me _forever_ to write the end and I didn't want to make you lovely readers wait longer than you already have for more!

* * *

"My apologies, sensei, but I need to speak with Kaiba Mokuba."

Mokuba and Rebecca looked up, startled; Shina had just crashed their computer analysis class. Their sensei looked surprised but clearly recognized Shina, manager of KaibaLand; she dismissed Mokuba with a nod of her head. Mokuba grabbed Rebecca's hand and pulled her out in the hallway with him.

"Wow, Shina, what's this ab-" Mokuba started to ask before she started talking and plowed right over him.

"Kaiba Mokuba, as Vice President of KaibaCorp, you need to march yourself into the office right now and talk some sense into your insane elder brother," she hissed.

Mokuba and Rebecca exchanged glances. "Sure, Seto's been in a bad mood lately," Mokuba began, before she once more cut him off.

"He _fired_ me!"

Rebecca whistled.

"_Really?"_ Mokuba asked, shocked. Shina was a robot, but she was a robot who was very good and efficient at what she did – running KaibaLand. It made no sense for Seto to fire her.

"He's dismissed two secretaries in a row, nearly half the people who've tried to talk with him in the last week – including yours truly – and overall, almost ten percent of the full-time staff. _And_ the night cleaning crew," Shina snarled. "I don't know what his problem is, but he can't let the company suffer because of it. Doesn't he realize what poor leadership skills this reveals? A constant employee turnover is inefficient and undesirable, to say nothing of curtailing employee loyalty-"

"Okay, okay, I'll take care of it," Mokuba said quickly. "You're rehired. Get me a list of everyone else who was fired by Seto and I'll rehire them too. I'll send them a rehiring bonus… and a letter of apology from Seto," he said as an afterthought. "I can forge his signature pretty well."

"Can you just do that?" Rebecca asked doubtfully.

Despite himself, Mokuba grinned. "Yeah… we had a situation kind of like this a few years ago, when Seto broke his leg."

"I remember," she recalled with a grimace. "He was in a foul mood until that cast came off."

"Yeah, and he went on a firing spree back then too. Afterwards, he admitted that he'd been a bit hasty, and he gave me – as Vice President – all sorts of power to check his decision-making."

"And you'll talk to him as well?" Shina pressed.

Mokuba hesitated. He and Seto hadn't had a real conversation since their argument about Anzu. "Yeah, I'll talk to him," he said finally.

* * *

"Have you talked to Anzu recently? I mean, since the breakup?" Rebecca asked later that day. She and Mokuba were sitting on the couch in the Kaiba mansion, waiting for Seto to arrive home.

Mokuba still hadn't told her the entire story – that was Anzu's business. "Yeah, I called her the day after the breakup," he said, looking down. He had his arm wrapped around her shoulders, and he stroked her upper arm absently. "She seemed okay, but she insisted that she didn't want to talk to or about Seto."

"What happened exactly?" Rebecca pressed. "All you told me is that they ended things. Did she break up with him or did he break up with her?" She frowned. "And what were you talking about that day in the car – you said that if Anzu said she loved Seto, you would have to confess your feelings." She was unable to prevent a small smile. "So does that mean that she did? She said that she loved him? But then why did they break up?"

Mokuba cleared his throat, wondering how to answer her, and whether it would be easier just to explain that Seto was an enormous dick, when the door swung open.

"Come on_,_ Mokuba, _another_ blonde tramp in the living room?" Seto snarled as he stalked into the house.

Rebecca glowered. "You sure know how to make a girl feel welcome."

Seto did a double-take. "Hopkins?" He backtracked and stood in front of them, peering at Mokuba's arm wrapped protectively around Rebecca's shoulders. "Well, well." He smirked, the first vaguely non-angry expression Mokuba had seen on his face in days. "So our deal _did_ work out well in the end!"

"Yeah," Mokuba retorted. "Now I'm sooo happy that you treated Anzu like a jerk!"

"He _did_? He was mean to her?" Rebecca asked quickly.

"I've said it before," Seto said, gearing up for a fight and pointing an accusing finger at Mokuba. "I never planned to stay with her for very long. I-"

"You _have_ said it before, and I don't want to hear it again," Mokuba snapped, standing up quickly. Rebecca leapt to her feet too and he pushed her back down into the couch. This was between him and Seto. "This isn't about _me_, so I want you to shut up and stop trying to justify yourself to me. The truth is, there's no excuse for the way you treated Anzu, and you know it. You've been miserable ever since you two broke up, partly because you know you were a jerk, and mostly because you miss her. Well, the _only_ solution is to beg for her forgiveness and beg for her back, and you're not going to be happy until you do that. That's _your_ problem._ I_ just want you to stop taking your misery out on other people, especially your staff." He folded his arms and graced his older brother with a version of Seto's own ice glare.

Rebecca stood up again. "Listen to my boyfriend," she said, also glaring at Seto. Then she grabbed Mokuba's hand and tugged him out of the room.

* * *

Seto gave a resigned sigh and stared up at Anzu's apartment building. He supposed that he had known, ever since he'd left Anzu alone in his bedroom, that he would wind up here. Mokuba's argument the previous day had finally pushed him into action. He was going to go up to Anzu's apartment… and he was going to grovel. He was going to forget about his pride, he was going to forget about how Anzu was better off without him, he was just going to try to get her back.

The only problem was… he took a discreet step back behind a car as Anzu came into view, lugging a bag full of groceries and chatting with her downstairs neighbor. Anzu didn't look like a girl who'd just been dumped. In fact, she looked as radiant and happy as always.

_She MUST miss me_, Seto thought to himself with a frown. Right?

Anzu parted ways with her neighbor and went upstairs; Seto followed at a distance. He rounded the corner just as she entered her apartment, and he darted forward and caught the door before it swung closed. He slipped silently inside and stood in the entrance for a moment, gathering his bearings. Anzu was humming from the kitchen and cabinets rattled; she was apparently putting groceries away.

Seto took a few steps forward and was about to enter the kitchen when something large and white came whizzing out of the kitchen doorway and landed heavily on his head. His knees buckled, and he went down.

Anzu raised the milk jug again, ready to whack him, and then lowered it when she recognized her intruder. "Seto?"

"You couldn't even wait for me to try to apologize first?" he sputtered, shielding his head.

Anzu turned around and put the milk jug on her kitchen counter with a heavy thud. "I heard someone sneak into my apartment," she said with a frown. "I didn't know it was you."

"Would you have hit me if you did?" he asked.

She looked at him oddly. "Why would I do that?"

He swallowed. "Well… I assume I hurt your feelings…"

She rolled her eyes. "There's that famous ego of yours. Why would you think that? Didn't Mokuba tell you that I was in on the deal?"

She turned away to put the milk in the refrigerator. When she turned back, Seto was still on his knees in the doorway, looking as stunned as if she'd hit him again.

"…Mokuba _didn't_ tell you?" she asked slowly.

"You… I need you to clarify that," Seto said, standing up stiffly.

"Mokuba told me from the beginning what your plan was," she said, her eyes narrowed. "That you planned to seduce me. I went along with it for a laugh, and then I decided that it was time Mokuba confessed his feelings to Rebecca, so I helped you fulfill the conditions of your deal. You're welcome, by the way," she added.

Seto, still stunned, groped around for a chair. "I can't believe he _told_ you!"

Anzu snorted. "Even if _you_ planned to take advantage of my feelings, did you seriously think _Mokuba_ would? He, at least, is better than that."

Seto winced, but his mind was still occupied trying to sort through this new revelation. "So… you lied to me?"

Anzu put her hands on her hips. "_Please_ tell me you are not serious, you filthy hypocrite."

He stood up again. "You _tricked_ me into falling for you!"

"_You_ tried to trick _me_ into falling for _you!_" Anzu retorted, really angry now. "How dare you accuse me of..." she paused, and her brow furrowed. "What did you say?"

Seto glowered, then turned around and stormed out of the kitchen and out of her apartment.

* * *

Mokuba and Rebecca had surreptitiously followed Seto to Anzu's place. Mokuba was hoping that the two of them would reunite with no more fanfare – unfortunately, he knew his brother better than that. His worst fears appeared confirmed when Seto stalked out of Anzu's apartment wearing a furious, hurt glare not ten minutes after entering.

"Should we go up and see her?" Rebecca whispered, tugging on Mokuba's sleeve.

"Yeah, I think we should," Mokuba said with a sigh. They hurried up the stairs and found the door to Anzu's apartment slightly ajar. They exchanged worried looks; Mokuba knocked softly before pushing the door open.

Anzu was lying facedown on the couch with a pillow over her head.

"Anzu?" Rebecca asked timidly. Anzu gave a sort of grunt and twitched.

"Oh my god," Rebecca whispered, horrified. "This is all my fault. I can't believe I thought a plan that took advantage of people's emotions was a good idea. What was I thinking?"

"It's not your fault," Mokuba said glumly, looking at Anzu, who still wasn't moving.

"Yes it is!" she said, nearly in tears. "Forcing Seto to date Anzu was my brilliant idea, and look where it's gotten us!"

"Becky," Mokuba said, putting a hand on her back. "Listen. It's not your fault, it's mine. See, I told Anzu about the plan too. I talked her into dating Seto."

"You… what?"

"I told her the day you first asked Seto, and he agreed," Mokuba said. He swallowed. "I wanted her to go along with your plan, but I didn't want her feelings to get hurt. But I screwed that up too," he said, looking down. "I should have just warned her to stay away."

"It's not _your_ fault," Anzu said from underneath the pillow.

"Oh yes it is!" Rebecca said, putting her hands on her hips. "It's Mokuba's fault, so he's going to help me fix it!"

"If it's anyone's fault, it's mine," Anzu said with a sigh, finally taking the pillow off her head and tilting her face to the side. Her eyes were red, but she wasn't crying. "I just went along with this deal as a favor to Mokuba, really – it seemed silly and harmless. I actually thought it might be a little fun. And Mokuba was right, I thought it would be good for Seto to loosen up a little bit. But things went way farther than I expected them to. I should have called it off ages ago."

"But you didn't," Mokuba said softly. "Why?" Anzu was silent. "It's because you grew to care for my big brother, isn't it?" he pressed.

She finally looked directly at him, and Mokuba saw to his surprise that she wasn't sad, she was angry. "Mokuba, I really appreciate your concern," she said. "Don't think I'm not grateful that you warned me about the deal. But I would like you to stop talking with me about your brother now." She sat up, and her eyes were no longer red-rimed, but flashed with an angry blue fire. "Any vague notions I might have entertained about actually being a relationship with Seto walked out the door when he did."

Mokuba winced. Rebecca's eyes were large.

"It's just a good thing I didn't trust him," Anzu said fiercely. "If I did, can you imagine what a betrayal that would have been?"

"We're not here to justify my brother's behavior," Mokuba said timidly. "He and I have been fighting about what happened too. But I think it might help to know… he knows he screwed up, and it's killing him. His secretary told me that Seto's been throwing up in his office. He hasn't been eating or sleeping right and he's dropping a lot of weight. And he's been in the worst mood of his _life_ lately." He waited, but Anzu didn't respond.

"We think he wants you back," Rebecca said, equally meekly.

"Well, I don't want _him_ back," Anzu said defiantly. "I deserve someone who will treat me better."


	10. Anzu knows best

Chapter 10: Anzu Knows Best

* * *

Note: Last chapter! I'm so happy that this story is done and I am so incredibly pleased that you amazing readers/reviewers have stuck with me on this. I do have other stories planned but very little free time; however, suggestions/comments are always welcome. Thank you all again!

* * *

"Now I'm _really_ mad at Seto," Mokuba said as he and Rebecca drove back to the Kaiba mansion. "I thought I was angry before, but actually talking with Anzu has made it worse. Even though she says she doesn't care about him, it's pretty clear that he hurt her feelings."

"Obviously. Being dumped like that would hurt anyone's feelings, even if you were expecting it," Rebecca said, staring out the window. "And I bet Anzu wasn't _really_ expecting it. She's an optimist. I bet that, deep down, she was expecting Seto to have fallen for her too. Or at least be considerate of her feelings."

"I'm going to let him have it when we get back," Mokuba said through clenched teeth.

"No," Rebecca said unexpectedly. "I think you should make up with him." When Mokuba turned to her in outrage, she added, "Pay attention to the road. I just think that there's been too much fighting already. Everyone's angry at everyone else. Seto won't feel any better if you continue to scream at him for screwing up, and you know he's too stubborn to apologize if he still feels like you're judging him." Mokuba looked unconvinced. "Also, I'm your girlfriend now, so you have to do what I say."

Mokuba felt his stern glare melting away into a gooey grin, and he was helpless to stop it. "You're more trouble than you're worth," he groused, but with a smile.

"No I'm not, and you love it," Rebecca said smugly, then, with an embarrassed laugh, "Well, you like it a lot."

"No, I love it," Mokuba corrected quietly.

Rebecca smiled to herself, then said, "Just one more thing I want to know."

"What?" Mokuba asked, pulling into his driveway and parking the car.

She faced him directly. "You told Anzu about the plan. You must have told her that I planned it so I could ask Yuugi out. Does he know?"

Mokuba slid down into the seat. He'd sort of forgotten about that.

"Your cringing is answer enough," she said, glaring at him. She got out of the car and stomped away.

"Becky, wait!" Mokuba unbuckled his seatbelt and sprang after her. "Okay, I may have told him, but only because he already knew!"

She stopped walking. "The whole world pretty much knew!" Mokuba exclaimed, realizing after he said it that it was the wrong thing to say.

Rebecca twisted her mouth, then unexpectedly said, "Yeah, I guess the world pretty much _did_ know." She sighed. "I think you're right, and that Yuugi knew for a long time, so that's why I'm forgiving you."

"Also, because I'm charming and you can't live without me, right?" Mokuba said, catching her hand and giving her a wink. Rebecca looked torn between an eye-roll and a grin. "No. It's really because there's too much relationship drama in the Kaiba family at the moment."

"Well, that works for me too. All right," Mokuba said, holding the front door of the mansion open for Rebecca. "Seto's probably locked himself away somewhere. I'm guessing his office. Let's go see." They tiptoed up the stairs together and stood outside Seto's office. The door was tightly closed, but a light was shining under the crack. They exchanged glances and nodded. Mokuba knocked on the door, then stepped back and crossed his arms.

"Don't do that," Rebecca whispered. "You're sending out aggressive body language. You look like you're ready for a fight."

"I _am_ ready for a fight," Mokuba whispered back.

"That's the wrong message!" she hissed. "You and Seto need to have a reasonable conversation, not a pointless shouting match-"

"Why the hell are you bothering me?" Seto roared, throwing the door open so hard that the handle smashed into the opposite wall and left a dent.

Rebecca immediately straightened up and put her hands on her hips. "You're not going to intimidate us!" she yelled. "You're a heartless bastard and we're here to tell you-"

Mokuba quickly dropped his hands to his sides and stepped in front of Rebecca. "Seto, can we just talk?" he asked quietly.

Seto hesitated. "About what?"

"About… everything that's happened in the last week," Mokuba said. "Mostly about you and me. I don't like fighting with you, big brother… so can we talk?"

Seto turned around and went back in his office, but he left the door open. Mokuba and Rebecca exchanged shrugs and went in and sat down on the couch.

"I can't believe you told Anzu about the deal," Seto said, staring at the computer and typing.

Mokuba winced. "Well… okay, I can see how you would be upset that I did that without telling you, but are you really mad that I told her? Because otherwise, she could really have gotten her feelings hurt."

"Her feelings are probably still hurt," Rebecca added. "Just pointing that out."

"She tricked me. She made a fool out of me," Seto said.

Mokuba and Rebecca exchanged exasperated glances. "Seriously? Is that really how you feel, Seto? You two were playing each other, and you started it, so you have no right to be angry at her."

"She never cared for me at all," he said, still staring straight forward.

Mokuba and Rebecca exchanged glances again, this time uncomfortable. "Seto," Rebecca said, leaning forward. "Is this upsetting you because you really did fall for her, and now you think she doesn't feel the same?"

"It would be ridiculous of me to feel that way," Seto said. His evasion of a direct response convinced Mokuba that Rebecca was right. Mokuba just wished that Anzu would admit that she cared for Seto too… he had been so sure that she was really falling for his brother.

"Seto," Mokuba said suddenly, leaning forward as well. "I'm done interfering with you and Anzu. But I have one last piece of advice for you." He glanced at Rebecca and smiled. "Sometimes – even when you don't know for sure how she feels about you – even if you think she could never want you in a million years – you have to be honest with yourself, and you have to go for it."

Seto still didn't respond, which in the world of Kaiba Seto was good news. It meant that he was listening. Rebecca looked skeptical, clearly remembering Anzu's assertion that she didn't care for Seto, but Mokuba ignored her. He really was done interfering, but he wasn't done hoping that his brother would wind up in a happy relationship, and he still thought that Anzu might be the one. And she wasn't _that_ good an actress; she wasn't callous like Seto, and she couldn't just pretend to like someone for that long. There must really have been something there.

"Anyway, I want you and I to be friends again, Seto," Mokuba said. He cleared his throat. "Unfortunately, I have to tell you that our reunion is contingent on you admitting that you were a jackass. Is that okay?"

Finally, Seto made a sound, a dry little laugh. "Agreed."

"That's good enough for me," Rebecca said cheerfully. "Shall I get some snacks while you two talk?"

"Chocolate cake," Seto said, finally prying his gaze away from the computer and giving Mokuba a lopsided grin.

* * *

The day after Seto broke up with her, Anzu had been offered a permanent position within the Camp Department, even before her internship ended. It had definitely helped console her. She was in her new office filling out some paperwork when someone came in and quickly shut the door behind them.

"Wh-" she began, glancing up, and the word died on her lips. She cleared her throat and started again. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to talk," Seto said, staring at her intensely as he pulled up a chair in front of her desk. "I shouldn't have left your apartment in the middle of our conversation yesterday, but you caught me off guard and I needed to think."

"Kaiba Seto caught off guard?" she asked in disdain. "That's not like you."

"Stop being sarcastic. That's not like _you_," Seto retorted.

Anzu was visibly struck by that, but then she lifted her chin. "Clearly you don't know me as well as you thought you did."

They stared each other down for several long moments. Finally, Seto said, "Anzu, when I first told Mokuba I was going to seduce you-"

"_I don't want to hear this,_" she said furiously, but he ignored her.

"Really, it started as a squabble between Mokuba and I. It was part of Rebecca's crazy plan, and I went along with it because I thought I could manipulate Mokuba. I thought that it wouldn't be a big deal, that I could just use you without much of an effort, and that you weren't important."

"Get out," she said, pointing at her office door. He ignored her.

"I was wrong, Anzu." He held her gaze. "I was very wrong. You are important. You're important to me."

There was a long moment of silence, then Anzu looked down. Seto leaned forward and kept staring into her eyes.

"I made a terrible mistake that night. I'll pay for it the rest of my life, regardless of whether you forgive me now or not. But I'm here today to ask you to forgive me anyway. Because I care for you, a lot." He paused. "I love you." When Anzu remained silent, he pressed, "How do you feel about me?"

Finally, she looked back at him acidly. "Last time I tried telling you how I felt about you, you dumped me and left me in your bedroom. Remember?"

"You were acting," he said.

"You didn't know that!"

"You're right." Seto took a breath. "You're right. And I apologize once more. How many times should I apologize? I'll keep at it for the rest of my life, if that'll make you happy." Anzu fell silent again. "Anzu," he said gently. "Will you go out with me?"

There was a long pause, then she shook her head no.

"No?" Seto asked, for the first time looking away from her.

"No," Anzu whispered.

Seto remained where he was for a moment, then slowly got up to leave. He put his hand on the doorknob, then hesitated and turned around to face her. To his surprise, she was staring at him.

"Seto, come back," she said, putting her hands on her desk and standing up. He willingly came back to her, his heart thumping in his chest – it felt strange, being nervous. Who would have thought that another person could make him feel nervous like this? But this wasn't just any other person, after all. This was Anzu, and she was everything.

"I wasn't saying no to you, I was saying no to myself," she said. For the first time since the bedroom incident, her eyes welled up with tears. "I was giving up. I want to be with you."

The air whooshed out of Seto's lungs, and for a moment he was frozen, unable to do anything but stare at her. Then Anzu smiled at him – it was a tentative smile, a shadow of her brilliant sunshine grin, but it lit him up nonetheless. He was around her desk and by her side in an instant, and his legs went weak from relief and his knees actually buckled. He stumbled a little, and he caught onto her to keep his balance, and then somehow she was clutching onto him too, looking up at him, her blue eyes bright.

"I love you," he said again, pressing his lips into her hair. "And I'll make sure you never have to doubt that again."

"Hmm," Anzu said thoughtfully. "We'll see about that… but I suppose I can tolerate you for a while longer."

He pulled back to look at her, confused, to see her eyes dancing with mirth. Seto smirked back, then cupped the back of her head with one hand and kissed her deeply. She set his heart racing, as always… and, with their bodies pressed so close together, he could feel her heart racing too. With that comforting discovery, Seto temporarily banished all thoughts from his mind, and focused only on showering attention and kisses on the woman in his arms.

* * *

**ONE DAY EARLIER:**

"That's a pretty crazy story," Jounouchi said, stabbing at his chicken. "And I think the craziest part of all is that you still want that Kaiba jerk back."

Anzu shrugged. "Look, I told you, I knew from the start what I was getting myself into. And I knew that there was a very strong possibility – a probability, even – that Seto would follow through with the original plan and dump me. I've gotten to know the guy, and he never wavers from his original goal. It wouldn't even have occurred to him to second-guess the plan."

Yuugi, who had also gone out to dinner with them, sighed. "I still don't like the fact that he treated you like that."

"I don't like it either," Anzu said, stabbing her own chicken particularly viciously. "But I've come to terms with it. When Mokuba first asked me to play along, I never in a million years guessed that I would actually fall for Seto. I mean, Jounouchi's right, he's a jerk." (Jounouchi looked moderately appeased.) "But I love him. For whatever reason." She laughed. "I like that he keeps me on my toes. Anyway, when I realized I was falling for him, I knew that I would have to deal with that stubborn side of him."

"I don't even know if 'stubborn' covers what Kaiba is," Jounouchi said dubiously. "I don't even know if there is a word that describes someone who treats his girlfriend like she doesn't have feelings. I mean, that's a pretty big fault."

"It's a fault that comes with the whole package," Anzu said, pushing her dinner plate away and leaning back with a sigh. "It's something that I'll work on with him, when I get him back."

"You're sure you'll get him back, then?" Yuugi asked with a grin, while Jounouchi snagged the food Anzu had left on her plate.

"I know Kaiba Seto, and he wants me," Anzu said confidently. "I could tell when he came over the other day. True, he stormed out… but he'll be back. I can't wait to hear what he'll say to try to get me to forgive him."

"At least you're not going to make it easy for him, right?" Jounouchi asked with his mouth full of her food.

"Absolutely not," she said immediately, shaking her head. "I'm going to make it as hard as possible for him. He deserves it."

"I guess I'll have to be satisfied with that," Jounouchi said glumly. "Can't believe he'll be part of our circle again."

"I didn't even tell Mokuba that I plan on taking Seto back," Anzu told Yuugi. "He's a great kid, but I didn't want to take a chance that he'd tell Seto. I know Mokuba feels kind of guilty about going behind his back in the first place."

"That's understandable," Yuugi said. "Well, Anzu, this whole thing is too complicated for me to follow anymore. I just want you to know that, if you're happy, I'm happy."

"I'm happy too," Jounouchi muttered into the last of the food.

Anzu laughed. "Thanks, guys."

"Only one more question," Yuugi said, his violet eyes sparkling.

"Oh yeah? What's that?" Anzu asked with a grin.

Yuugi laughed too. "Are you ever going to tell Kaiba that you're always one step ahead of him? That you always know what he's going to do, and that you make your own plans specifically to manipulate him?"

"I definitely am never going to tell him," Anzu declared, tossing her head. "I plan to manipulate him for the rest of my life."

"Hear, hear," Jounouchi said enthusiastically.

"I bet it'll be tomorrow, or the next day," Anzu said thoughtfully. "He won't wait long."

* * *

**PRESENT TIME:**

Anzu left work early and headed home with Seto. After his semi-emotional scene in her office, he had reverted to his normal composed self, except that he couldn't stop staring at her and a small, soft smile would creep onto his lips. She smiled back, and it wasn't until they were at Anzu's apartment that he finally noticed the satisfied gleam in her eyes.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked her, reaching out to smooth back her hair from her forehead. "You look… triumphant."

Anzu hurriedly banished all traces of successful manipulation from her face. It wouldn't do to let him know that she had planned, all along, to get back together with him. "I'm just glad that we're back together," she said with sincerity, and reached up to wrap her arms around his neck and kiss him. The distraction technique worked.

It wasn't until they had been married for seven years, and had two children, that Seto ever suspected how Anzu could predict his every move, and made her decisions long before he acted on his. And even then… he never entirely got it.

And that was exactly the way Anzu planned things.


End file.
